No Pain, No Gain
by thebookhostage
Summary: As Oliver Wood's best friend, Mercy has learned to deal with his obsession by hovering his playbook over the fireplace. It's their seventh year. Enter crushes, football matches, ebelskivers, secrets, snogging, massages and meddling friends. Fun right? ON HOLD
1. Ride On

1. Ride On

The train station was bustling for a Saturday morning with businessmen and families trying to get to their respective platforms. It was always amazing how no Muggles managed to notice people passing through the wall between platforms nine and ten. This always went through Mercedes Gauge's mind during the beginning of every term, though this would be her last trip on the Hogwarts Express. It had been hard for her to travel to the wonderful school two years prior without her friend Charlie Weasley, but she still had the twins and Lee Jordan to keep her in high spirits. Mercedes turned to her parents. Her father, Richard Gauge, was a Muggleborn wizard and was more than ecstatic when he daughter had been accepted to his alma-mater. At his side was her mother, Lorraine, and her two older brothers Nathaniel (Nate), and Derrick, the oldest, who were all Muggles. They had been aware of Richard's abilities their entire lives, but were shocked when Mercedes received her letter. Lorraine was worried about her only daughter going off to a wizarding school, but Richard had promised her that there was nothing to worry about. And now, after six years, they were at their final goodbyes. This time next year, Mercedes would be working and not cut off from her family for months at a time.

"Well kiddo…this is it." Richard said with a grin. She hugged him tight. "I'm so proud of you." He kissed her forehead before Lorraine pulled her away and clutched her daughter with tears in her eyes.

"Be good, be safe, and don't let those hoodlums you call friends get you into anymore trouble." She stared Mercedes in the eye, making sure she understood.

"I promise Mum, but Fred and George are quite a handful."

"Well Mercy, the pub is waiting for you when you come home." Nate said with a grin, pulling her into a one armed hug.

"And the boys'll be waiting too." Derrick answered. "We all have to go to a match once you're back."

"We just went to a match last week." She said cheekily as Derrick gave her a noogie.

"Have no fear! The Hoodlums are here!" They heard two identical voices shout. Mercy removed herself from her brothers and ran over to two red-headed twins who had identical grins on their faces. It was common knowledge that Lorraine didn't like Mercy hanging out with the twins because she was afraid her daughter would get hurt during one of their escapades.

"Gred! Feorge! I missed you!" She shouted, pulling them into a hug. They laughed but returned the gesture.

"Oye, Fred, I knew I missed something over the summer."

"What's that George?"

"Older women throwing themselves at me!" Mercy hit them both in the arms and hugged her parents once more before following the twins through the barrier and onto Platform 9 ¾.

There, they were quick to find Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell. Although Mercy was not in their year, she had become friends with all of them over the years after finding it easy to talk with them about sports, especially Lee Jordan who was an avid football fan after discovering the sport with his father when he was young. They could often be found in the Common Room arguing about tactics and draft results. Lee was an avid Manchester fan, while Mercy rooted for Blackpool.

"Oye Lee! Still rooting for bloody Manchester?" She teased, "When are ye going to pick a real club?" She pointed to her orange and white Blackpool jersey. This started an argument that lasted until they were all in their compartment and a knock came at the door. A brown head popped in with a grin and everyone cheered.

"Our fearless captain has returned!" George exclaimed. Oliver took a seat in the compartment as everyone welcomed him.

"Wood." Mercy said with a smirk.

"Gauge." He responded. "How was your summer?"

"Quite lovely, though I did miss my rotten best friend who was off at Quidditch camp all bloody summer." She teased.

"Who? Percy? Come on now love, you know he needs the practice." He shot back with a grin. Everyone burst into hysterics as Oliver pulled her over for a hug and she smacked him upside the head for not writing her the _entire_ summer.

"I was busy!" he exclaimed. "In between sessions at camp I was busy applying for positions to professional teams and working on my playbook. We _will_ win the ruddy Cup this year, even if it kills me!"

"And probably us too." Fred whispered to his brother who just nodded. Mercy watched as Oliver began telling everyone what he had learned this summer and all his ideas on strategies that he would be implementing at practices. How she and Oliver had become friends was a mystery. They had met on the Hogwarts Express during their first year, but it was only after Charlie had introduced them later that year that they clicked. It appeared sports fanatics were just meant to be friends. Although neither one of them ever understood the fanaticism of the other's favorite sport, they appreciated the dedication and obsession that the other possessed.

"So Gauge, since you know what I did this summer, what did you do without me there to entertain you?"

"Puh-lease Wood. I have plenty of other blokes to entertain me." She retorted, causing Oliver to frown. Yes, he was just Mercy's friend, but there was equal suspicion between them when the other mentioned their love life. Mercy propped her feet up on Oliver's lap.

"The guys and I spent the summer at as many Pool matches as we possibly could. Other than that, I worked at the pub."

"You and that ruddy pub." Oliver said with a roll of his eyes. "I swear, once you graduate and get a real job I'll feel much better."

"I'm going to be taking over the pub, so I don't know what you're talking about." Oliver's jaw dropped. Everyone in the compartment knew that Oliver didn't like the idea of Mercy spending the rest of her days standing behind a bar serving drinks. None of them did, but Oliver was the only one to ever voice his opinion since it always resulted in an argument. Mercy didn't seem to have a problem with abandoning any opportunity she had to make something of herself in the wizarding world. She had always been set on following in her father's footsteps and taking over the pub. The only reason she accepted her letter to Hogwarts was for her father because he hoped she would find something else that would catch her eye like her brothers had done when they'd gone off to the University.

"Gauge, seriously, you know you can do better than that." Oliver argued, "It's not right for you to waste all that talent! You could work in the Ministry or something!"

"I'm not talking to you about this Wood." She looked up as the candy lady knocked at their door. This started everyone on a rant as to what they wanted.

"A pack of Droobles please!"

"Three chocolate frogs!"

"Two cauldron cakes!"

"A pumpkin pastie please!"

"Bertie Botts!" Fred and George both shouted.

"Four licorice wands!" The woman handed them all their orders upon receiving money and headed down the line. Mercy picked at her chocolate frog, not meeting Oliver's gaze. He knew she was mad at him, and he didn't blame her. He always felt bad after an argument and everyone knew what was coming next. He pulled her out of the compartment, nearly making her spit chocolate on Angelina.

"Will you talk to me?" He asked. Mercy chewed and swallowed the chocolate in her mouth, putting her hands on her hips.

"Why do you always do that?" She asked. "You know it annoys me."

"I know. I just don't like the idea. I mean you'll be in the Muggle world and I'll be here. It freaks me out that I may never see you again after we graduate." He decided to keep his mouth shut about it being a waste of talent since that would just start the argument back up again.

"Wood…seriously? I'm going to come to your games, whatever team chooses you. Someone's got to make sure you keep your head on straight once you hit Quidditch stardom. Merlin knows you'll have raving fangirls." She teased. He hugged her tight.

"I'll make sure you get season tickets." He whispered in her ear.  
"Oye! We better be getting season tickets too!"

"And they better be box seats!" Fred and George exclaimed.

"Now enough snogging with my girl and let's play a game of exploding Snap!" George put his arm around Mercy and they returned to the compartment. Oliver and Fred were staring each other down in the final showdown of the Exploding Snap tournament when the compartment became freezing cold. It was only then that they noticed that the train wasn't moving. Everyone began shivering. Mercy stared in awe as she saw her breath in front of her. Fred nudged her and told her to put her cloak on to keep warm to which she merely nodded and did as she was told. A dark figure passed them and Oliver pushed the door open to see what it was.

"Dementors?" he whispered.

"On the train?" Mercy asked, coming to stand next to him, apparently not feeling the cold as she'd dropped her cloak.

"Where's it going?"

"Could Black be on the train?" There was a bright light emitting from the compartment that the Dementor had just tried to enter and the Dementor shrieked and departed the train. A man came out of the compartment.

"Everyone, relax. It is being taken care of." He announced. "I am Professor Lupin. Everyone please take the time to eat some chocolate to regain warmth." He then headed in the direction of the conductor and students began talking animatedly. Word reached their group that Harry Potter had been in that compartment and had passed out.

When Oliver and Mercy turned back to their compartment, the other members were fighting over Mercy's remaining two chocolate frogs. With a roll of his eyes, Oliver flicked his wand and the frogs were split into eight equal pieces. George tossed Mercy her piece and the twins watched carefully to make sure she ate it, which caused her to glare at them. Everyone instantly felt warmth rush through their bodies as the chocolate slid down their throats.

"Well, at least this Lupin guy knows what he's doing." Angelina noted. They all nodded and the topic now turned to Sirius Black who they all had read about this summer. Kaite mentioned how things in the Ministry had been crazy since his escape, her parents both worked there and had been working overtime for weeks.

"How do you suppose he did it?" Mercy asked.

"Maybe he charmed a Dementor?"

"Definitely blew up his cell."

"You two are idiots." Angelina scolded. "The walls of Azkaban are much more intricate than you think. There are spells and enchantments that keep the prisoners there. Besides that, Dementors can't be charmed Fred. Honestly!"

"Well sorry Miss Know-It-All!" Mercy teased.

"Oh shut it! I read it from your paper last year." Angelina told her "You did a whole report on Azkaban for Lockheart. If I remember, he gave you an O." Mercy blushed.

"Shut it Ange, before I let some valuable information slip." She warned, causing Angelina to shut her mouth. The other girls giggled and the boys looked on confused. The train came to a halt and they rushed to the carriages. Once they reached the Great Hall and the Sorting was complete, Dumbledore announced that the Dementors would stay in Hogwarts as guards against Sirius Black. The food appeared and it was only then that Mercy realized how hungry she was. Instantly, she began fighting George for a pork chop that they both claimed looked the best. George ended up winning and Mercy laid claim to a less appealing pork chop. Oliver merely shook his head as George ranted about how good his food was. He was used their antics every year. He was just waiting for-

"Wood!" there it was, "Make George stop! He's chewing with his mouth open and it's making me lose my appetite! It's not even dessert yet! I can't be puking before the pies come out!" Mercy whined. Oliver reached behind Mercy and smacked George upside the head. Mercy gave him a smug grin and George rubbed his head.

"Can't fight your own battles?" Fred teased.

"Can too! It just hurts more when Wood does it." She grinned and stuffed her mouth with mashed potatoes. Once dessert was served, Mercy was the first to grab a slice of lemon meringue pie.

"And the verdict?" Oliver asked with an eyebrow raised. She swallowed and dabbed her mouth with her napkin.

"Not bad…better than last year…but I'm still a better cook." She told him seriously.

"Yeah, you missed some killer fudge this summer Wood." Katie told him. "I don't know where she learned this stuff, but cooking is this girl's forte." Mercy shrugged and took another bite of her pie.

"Not to mention that her steaks are amazing."

"And the homemade chips!"

"Okay guys, I get it. I missed some good food this summer." Oliver laughed. "The question is though…will Mercy bless me with her peanut butter-Hershey kiss cookies for my birthday this year?" He questioned.

"If you're a good boy." She tapped his cheek roughly. Dumbledore told them all to head up to their dormitories. It was only then that Mercy saw Percy and she jumped up and hugged him, purposely embarrassing him in front of all of the first years. She'd made sure to do so since he became prefect and now that he was Head Boy she was going to make his life a living hell.

"You really need to stop doing that." Oliver told her as Percy walked away with a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"Yeah, you know Perc has always had a thing for you." Fred piped in.

"Bloody drives him nuts when you do that." George added.

"It's fun to watch him get embarrassed and besides, I can't get detention for hugging him." She said, pointedly looking at the twins. "I heard all about the big headed boy badge. Bloody brilliant! Why couldn't you have waited until we were here?" She questioned, causing the twins to laugh and put their arms around her as they walked towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Because mum made us give it back early."

"Don't worry my dear. We'll get him good."

"And then you can make him feel all better."

"After, of course, you tell us who you fancy."

"Excuse me?"

"It's only fair. If you fancy Percy, then we'll have to start making fun of you too."

"I do NOT fancy your brother."

"Want to rephrase?" Oliver teased, causing Mercy to blush.

"Alright, so I had a thing for Charlie. But he was just my mate. Besides, Percy is too uptight for me."

"So who does our dear Mercy fancy this year?"

"You, George. I fancy you!" She exclaimed dramatically, causing George to puff out his chest and give the other boys an 'I told you so' look. She left the boys in the Common Room and headed up to her room where the other five girls in her year were already getting ready for bed.

"Welcome back Mercy." Katherine Burns said with a smile. Mercy waved back and returned the sentiment. She and Katherine got along, but Mercy had a hard time relating to the girls in her year, preferring the girls on the team, or the boys.

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Not too much to say except please let me know what you think. This is also on , but I wanted to see how it does here too.

I already have like 5 chapters written for this, and there's also a HUGE possibility for a sequel so R/R!


	2. My List

Thanks to annnH for the review. For that, this chapter is dedicated to you! (And lucky you, the day you posted the review is the day I'm updating so that i'm on the same chapter as hpff)

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2. My List

It was Monday morning and Mercy was woken up by Katherine telling her that there were a bunch of people yelling and throwing things up at their door ordering her to wake up. Mercy rolled her eyes and walked to the door, only to be hit in the head with a rather large spit-wad. Without a second thought, she ran down the stairs ready to tackle Oliver, but tripped over something at the bottom, causing her to fall rather haphazardly to the floor. She rolled over to see Oliver standing by the steps with his foot out. Fred, George and Lee popped out from behind the couch and bombarded her with more spit-wads. She instantly tackled Oliver to the ground and began smacking his chest non-stop. Oliver just laughed, knowing she wasn't trying to hurt him and then she turned her torture on the other three boys, chasing them around the common room until she'd tackled each one of them to the ground and performed some form of torture on them. She gave Lee a rather harsh noogie, gave Fred a purple-nurple of death, and George received an atomic wet-willie. Once she was sure she could change in peace, Mercy climbed the stairs to get ready for the day.

Once they reached the Great Hall, their schedules were passed out and Mercy and Oliver cross-checked theirs instantly since they were the only two seventh years in the group. They both groaned when they saw they had double transfiguration with Slytherin first thing on Mondays with a single session on Thursday and potions with Ravenclaw every Monday and double Wednesday. Their other classes didn't seem so bad.

"At least you're brilliant at potions." Oliver told her as they walked to transfiguration. "You'll be my partner this year…right?" Mercy just kept walking and took a seat. Oliver followed with a panicked look on his face. "Gauge?...Mercy?"

"Yes Wood?" She turned to him with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"You'll be my potions partner this year? I can't work with Eliza again." He pleaded, referring to Eliza Fallon who was horrible at potions. "She nearly blew my brains out."

"But Oliver…that would imply that you had brains to begin with." She teased.

"Please Mercy. I need to pass this year. Please be my partner?"

"And what's in it for me? I know you're rubbish at potions."

"If I'm such rubbish then how did I manage an O on my O.W.L.s?"

"I still don't see why I should be your partner."

"I'll help you with whatever you want for the rest of the year!" Mercy contemplated it, but was unable to give him a response since Professor McGonagall called the class to order. They were informed that in a few weeks they would begin learning how to turn into animals, something everyone had been looking forward to for quite some time. For the time being, they were going to review general body morphing. Oliver was always good at transfiguration so he performed the spells easily, laughing when Mercy turned her hair a violent shade of green. When she was unable to change it back, Oliver said the spell and returned her hair to its usual dark chocolate coloring, his eyes still dancing. She smacked him in the arm and reminded him that she had yet to agree to be his potions partner.

Late that night Oliver was talking with the team about what he had planned for their practice schedule, as well as pressing on them the importance of their first game which was against Slytherin. Mercy sat by the fireplace writing on a spare bit of parchment. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the twins come up next to her and grab the paper out of her hands.

"Oye! Give that back you buggers!" She shouted chasing after them. "Didn't you learn anything this morning about pissing me off?"

"Nope."

"Not a thing."

"So what has our dear Mercedes so wrapped up in thought?" They both said in unison as she tried to take it out of their hands.

"It's nothing, give it back!" This caught the attention of Oliver who stood up and grabbed the paper from the boys.

"Things to do before I leave Hogwarts." He read.

"Be nice Wood, or I won't be your potions partner." His eyes flickered for a moment before looking back down at the paper.

"One: Go into the Forbidden forest."

"Oliver, give it back."

"Two: Spend the night in the Shrieking Shack."

"Oliver!"

"Keep going Wood!" The twins shouted.

"Three: Make Wood his damn peanut butter cookies. Aww that's sweet Mercy." He teased.

"Give it back."

"Four: Fly on a broom." Oliver looked up. "You've never flown before?"

"Mercy, you can't be serious!" She grabbed the paper out of Oliver's hand.

"You're not supposed-"

"Both of you shut it!" Mercy growled, glaring at the twins. "I know what I am and am not supposed to do. So don't bloody remind me. It's my last year here and I'm going to do whatever the bloody hell I want to." She stormed up to her dormitory with Angelina and Katie on her heels.

"She's never flown before?" Oliver repeated, now looking at the twins. "How is that possible? All first years are required to take flying lessons." The twins sighed and shook their heads.

"Not for us to answer mate." They patted him on the shoulder and headed to their room leaving Oliver to contemplate what he'd just learned about his best friend. Sure when they were first years they'd been friends, but their flying lessons were before Charlie had introduced them. Had she really not been there?

The next morning Mercy sat in the Great Hall working on her list some more. She was going to have problems with some of the things on her list, but there were others that she was sure she could accomplish. Fred and George were the first to greet her and took seats on either side of her. She'd heard their conversation with Oliver after she'd gone upstairs and knew they felt guilty even though they really hadn't revealed anything. She smiled at both of them to let them know it was alright.

Oliver walked with her to Defense Against the Dark Arts where Professor Lupin began talking to them about Vampires, which caught everyone's interest. They were scribbling down various interesting notes and staring at the vampire fangs that Lupin passed around. He had not been permitted to bring a real vampire to the class, but the students didn't mind.

"Hey Wood!" Mercy whispered. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, letting her know he was listening. "I'll help you with potions if you do something for me."

"What's that?"

Mercy didn't respond, but instead scribbled something at the bottom of her notes and slid it over to Oliver, not taking her eyes off of Professor Lupin.

_Once a month you do something for me. I'll let you know when it's time to pay up._ Oliver smiled and nodded in response. He was used to Mercy being cryptic and he really did need the help in Potions.

Later that day Mercy was sitting outside by the lake adding more and more to her list. She sighed thinking that this was her last year, and how she'd wasted so much time doing nothing. Well, nothing wasn't extremely accurate. She did manage good grades and had great friends and even made it to most of the Quidditch games. There were parties and escapades that she was sure she'd never forget.

"Five: attend the winter ball with a date. You've been to the winter ball before." Mercy jumped a little and stared at Oliver.

"Yes, I've been to the winter ball Wood." She told him as he sat down next to her, taking her list from her lap. She didn't stop him. "But you fail to realize that you and the boys don't exactly let me go with a date. I'm always with you guys, which is fine, except you all end up having dates for the most part and I'm left guarding the table."

"Ah…yeah…sorry about that. We just don't want you to end up with a wanker for a date." He said with a slight grin.

"Six: Pass transfiguration. I think I can help with that. Seven: play a pick-up game of football. Eight: Get Wood to play football and admit it's the greatest sport ever. Ha! Fat chance Gauge!"

"Shut up Oliver."

"Nine: Get drunk off my arse." Oliver looked at her skeptically. As long as he'd known Mercy, she'd never been one to drink in excess. In fact, she always told them that she preferred to take care of their sorry arses when they returned from a night of drinking. Her hangover remedies were a godsend.

"Don't worry Wood, when I do that I'll be sure to have everything prepared for the morning after before we go out so none of us will have hangovers." She promised.

"Ten:...there's nothing here."

"That's because I didn't write anything yet." She teased.

"What's number ten?"

"I haven't decided yet. But I'll think of something. Or maybe you'll think of one for me."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you're going to help me with this list."

"What do you mean?"

"This is my payback for helping you with potions. If I'm your partner, you're going to help me with my list." Oliver looked over the numbers again.

"Alright, fair is fair. Besides, most of this stuff is easy and I'll be sure to remind you to make me my cookies." He slung his arm around her. "This is going to be a great hear Mercy. I can feel it."

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Well that's all for this chapter. What's up with Mercy? Will Wood ever admit that football is better than Quidditch? Stay tuned for the answers to these questions and more!

Preview for next chapter:

_"You're starting to worry your team, you know that right?"  
_  
_"You do realize you just accepted a study date with Davies don't you?"  
_  
_"Want to know who I fancy?"  
_  
_"YOU SNOGGED DAVIES?" _

Please R/R


	3. Chapter 3

Hey all, thanks to everyone who read my first two chapters.

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3. Bookish Thoughts Speak Romantic Intentions

It was getting closer to the first Hogsmeade trip of the year and everyone was getting excited. Fred and George agreed that they needed to stock up on a few necessities and Mercy declared that she was going through Butterbeer withdrawal. Oliver, on the other hand was constantly scribbling in his Quidditch playbook, making it hard for Mercy to work on potions with him. There were several nights where she had to levitate the playbook over the fireplace in order to get him to concentrate. Everyone was now used to the book being held hostage, and none of Oliver's teammates were complaining. They knew he needed the break.

The team was sitting in the locker room as Oliver went on about how this was his last year to win. Mercy sat just outside the room on the edge of the pitch. It was normal for her to be dragged to these meetings even though she was not part of the team. She took this time to go over some of her football magazines that her brothers had sent her to keep her up to date on what was going on. Oliver was probably going on about how great the team was, pointing out each player's strengths. Mercy couldn't help but laugh at how Oliver always brushed himself off and the rest of the team piped in to tell him how wonderful he was. It was just like Oliver to forget himself. He liked to think that a good team was one where the Keeper really didn't have to do anything, but it was always Oliver who saved the day with a spectacular save at the last minute. Of course, he also had a terrible track record with Bludger hits.

_It was Oliver's first game and Mercy was sitting in the stands waving her Gryffindor flag with pride. When the team rushed out, Oliver was all business, but Mercy saw him scan the crowd and smile a little when they made eye contact. The game started and Ravenclaw was playing smart. Mercy held her breath as a shot was taken against her friend. He saved it easily. A few seconds after he'd thrown the ball back to his chaser, a bludger came from behind and smacked him upside the head. Mercy gasped in horror as Oliver fell to the ground and was taken to the hospital wing. She couldn't move. Charlie saw what happened and a time out was called. He instantly came over to her and told her to go to the hospital wing and stay with Oliver. A week later he woke up with Mercy next to his bed, reading a football magazine. _

Mercy smiled at the memory, although she did not enjoy worrying over her friends, she was relieved not to lose her best friend that day. Each year she bit her lip and prayed that none of them get injured like that again, but it was inevitable. The twins had both broken bones during games, the girls were constant victims to rough play, and Oliver was a bludger magnet. Through all this, the entire team agreed that Mercy was not to miss a game. It appeared that whenever she did, the team lost, though they all failed to realize that they had also won a few games during her absences or in fact lost a game or two when she had attended. Either way, they forced her to sit through freezing cold and torrential downpours. Oliver had even had an argument with Madam Pomfrey once when Mercy was in the hospital wing with a busted knee that she'd sustained from him rushing her down the stairs to get to the game. He tried to reason that she'd be able to make it to the game on crutches which was quickly countered by the fact that it was icy outside. Needless to say, Gryffindor lost that game.

The team exited the locker room and Mercy waved to the team as they passed her. Fred and George told her that Oliver would be out in a bit and that she didn't need to wait for him. She knew better. Oliver always needed someone to vent to after any team meeting and this one was no different. Nearly twenty minutes after the team left, Oliver emerged from the locker room with his trusty playbook in tow.

"You're starting to worry your team, you know that right?" Mercy asked while flipping the page of her magazine, never looking up. Oliver jumped, forgetting that she was probably waiting for him.

"They just don't take anything seriously. I swear the twins are out to get me." He sighed, slumping down next to her and peeking at her magazine. There was a picture of a man diving to save the ball from going into the net. Oliver had to admit that it looked impressive.

"They're not out to get you Oliver, they're just trying to get you to lighten up. You talk them all up and then forget about yourself."

"You weren't in there."

"Trust me Wood," Mercy looked up from the article and stared him in the eye, "it's the same thing every year. I know this is your last chance but you have to admit, you've done wonders for the Gryffindor team."

"But-"

"Ah ah! You've got yourself a great team. Don't forget that. These guys care about you, so don't get hit by another ruddy bludger. For their sake, and mine." Oliver quirked an eyebrow, "I'm sick of having to leave the game early to sit by your side in the hospital wing." She teased and he wrapped his arm around her.

"I'll try love, I really will."

"I don't need Katie having another heart attack alright? She's got a strong grip that nearly broke my bloody hand last year while you were carted off."

"I know." Oliver stood up and put his hand out. "Ready for some dinner?" Mercy smiled. Oliver always used food to brush of his constant injuries, and of course, it always worked. Right on cue Mercy's stomach growled which made Oliver smirk. He really knew her all too well.

"Come on, let's go." He teased as she took his hand and he led her back into the castle. They were all sitting down and laughing about Fred's interpretation of a grindylow when Mercy felt a tap on her shoulder.

"S'cuse me." She turned around to see Roger Davies and felt the entire Quidditch team stiffen. Although he was a rival, Mercy had no problem with the Ravenclaw and the two often sat next to each other in class…whenever Oliver wasn't with her.

"What's up Davies?"

"I was wondering if you would mind helping me later with the Ancient Runes homework?"

"And what's in it for me?" Mercy smirked. Roger knew she'd help him, but she also desperately needed help with History of Magic. It honestly wasn't her fault that Binns was as boring as a flobberworm.

"If you help me, I'll work with you on Binns' witch burning essay." He offered.

"Eight o'clock in the library?" She suggested.

"Mercy…"

"Shush Oliver, I'm bargaining here." She waved him off, not sensing the tension between the two boys.

"Eight o'clock it is. See you then."

"See ya." Roger went back to his table and Mercy returned to her treacle tart. Everyone on the team was staring at her. This just caused her to roll her eyes, though they stopped mid roll at the sight of Oliver's knuckles turning white as he gripped his glass of pumpkin juice.

"Y'alright there Wood?" Mercy asked.

"You do realize you just accepted a study date with Davies don't you?" He responded. "He's only trying to get to you because he thinks you know stuff about the team."

"Well I do know stuff about the team."

"No Mercy," Fred piped in, "He thinks he can get _you_ to tell him what you know." She looked between her two friends for a minute before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"You…you two have seriously lost your bloody minds!" She said trying to catch her breath. "Davies and I have known each other for a while. He hasn't tried anything before so why now?"

"Because it's his last year too. Please Mercy, call the date off." George warned looking between Oliver and Mercy.

"It's not a ruddy date for Merlin's sake! He's helping me with my essay and I'm helping him with Ancient Runes. You lot need to get your minds out of the gutter."

"But Mer-"

"No Wood. If you really think I'm that easy then we have issues."

"I don't think-"

"Obviously you do if you think I would just give away the Gryffindor secrets to any bloke who shows an interest in me, which need I remind you, I didn't do when Matthew Hicks asked me out last year. I'm sick of listening to you lot go on about how Quidditch blokes only want to date me to learn your dirty secrets."

She stood up and left the Great Hall without a second thought. Oliver groaned and the twins held their hands over their faces. Yes, they were being suspicious of any guy who played Quidditch, but it was also a precaution to make sure Mercy didn't get hurt. Davies had never shown any interest in her before, or at least he'd never asked her to study with him when they were around. There was a reason he wanted to make it public and Merlin help them, they were going to find out why.

At eight o'clock, Mercy made her way to the library, completely ignoring the final protests from her friends. Honestly, they could just bugger off. She wasn't shocked to find several groups of people studying in various corners of the library upon her entrance and immediately made for one of the desks by the window, making sure to tell Madame Pince where she was so Roger could find her. Unknowingly, her three best mates had followed her and were on the other side of the bookshelf staring at her.

"Honestly, I feel a little bad doing this." George told them, "I mean she does kind of have a point. We really have no reason to doubt her."

"I don't doubt her. I just don't bloody trust Davies." Oliver retorted. "He's up to something." On cue, Roger Davies sat down opposite of Mercy and the two cracked open their textbooks. For nearly an hour the two merely answered questions the other had about their respective classes.

"Can we go now? I actually have other things I want to do." George complained with a yawn.

"No!" The two others whispered angrily. Oliver's eyes were dead set on the couple in front of them and there was no way he was leaving Mercy at the hands of Roger Davies.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two had a thing for our dear Mercy." George teased, knowing this would get a rise out of them.

"You know I fancy Angelina!" Fred spat.

"Mercy's just my best mate!" Oliver countered. "I fancy Lindsey McClure anyways."

"So Mercy, what's the deal with you and Wood?" The three boys and Mercy's eyes snapped to Roger.

"Beg your pardon Davies?"

"I said, what's the deal with you and Wood?" He repeated easily, leaning back in his chair.

"He's my best mate." Oliver stuck his tongue out at George who just rolled his eyes.

"So you two aren't an item?"

"I would think not. He fancies some bird in another house."

"And who do you fancy?" Roger inquired. Oliver was getting angry. It was one thing to request a study date with his best mate to find out about Quidditch strategies, but to blatantly hit on her was way out of line.

"That is none of your business Davies. Now can we just finish our work in peace?"

"Want to know who I fancy?" Mercy rolled her eyes.

"If it'll make you shut it, sure."

"I…well…Katie."

"Katie who? Katie Bell?" Roger nodded with a slight blush. "Davies, that's not a good idea…" Mercy trailed off, thinking about what Oliver would say in this kind of situation. It was shady enough that Davies was talking to her about this, but the fact that he fancied a rival team member was ridiculous.

"What's so bad about it? It's not like I'd jeopardize the Quidditch team or anything."

"Davies, it's just not a good idea. Wait until you graduate. I don't want to see anyone's head get chopped off if this backfires."

"Who? Wood?"

"No shit."

"What's he got to do with it?"

"Do you _know_ what he would do if he found out his star chaser was dating the rival Quidditch captain? He'd bloody flip! Hell, I'd bloody flip! No Davies. I will _not_ help you bag Katie Bell. Especially not with your track record with birds."

"Oh come on Gauge! My record isn't that shotty!"

"The fact that you agreed you have a record says it all Davies. Now," She closed her book and began packing her bag, "if we're all done here, I actually have homework to do."

"Gauge…Mercy!" He grabbed her arm and the three behind the bookshelves stiffened. "Is this because of what happened last year?"

"What happened last year?" Fred asked, the other two shrugged.

"Puh-lease Davies, just because we snogged once doesn't mean I wouldn't help you with a bird, just not a member of the team. Wood's my best mate and I won't do that to him." Roger let go and Mercy left him sitting at the desk. Once Mercy left the library, the twins went after her and Oliver stood there frozen. Mercy and Davies…had snogged? When had that happened? Was he that out of touch with his best mate? Oliver shook his head and ran after the twins.

"Wood?" Davies called, but Oliver ignored him and kept running to Gryffindor tower where the twins had cornered Mercy on one of the couches.

"BLOODY DAVIES?"

"YOU SNOGGED DAVIES?" They shouted.

"YOU LOT WERE SPYING ON ME?" She shouted back.

"We-"

"Needed a book-"

"Just happened to be there-"

"Wood's idea-"

"Wood?" Mercy looked at her best friend. "You bloody git!"

"Oh come on Mercy! It was kind of shady."

"And do I get your approval for how I handled it?" She inquired angrily.

"I do."

"I'm not helping you with potions for the rest of the week."

"WHAT?"

"Fair is fair Wood."

"That's bloody harsh, don't ya think Mercy?" Fred asked.

"I mean we were just looking out for yer safety." George added.

"Davies is a right git."

"I know this boys, but you lot need to learn to trust me. Especially _you_." She pointed to Oliver. "I can't believe you!"

"And I can't believe you didn't tell me you'd snogged Roger Bloody Davies!" He shot back.

"That's my business, not yours."

"When it comes to my best mate and my Quidditch rival you bet your bludger it's my business!"

"Well there's a lot about my life that you don't know Wood, and I don't plan to tell you anytime soon." Fred and George shot her a questioning look which she pointedly ignored. "And now, it's time for me to go to bed. After all I've got potions in the morning." She walked up to her dorm and left the boys to mull over what she'd said. It was like Mercy to not tell them about her love life, but Oliver had figured she'd let him know about Roger Davies. He always told her what happened with girls, why wouldn't she do the same?

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That's all for this chapter. Please R/R!

Chapter 4 Preview:

_"You're going to rot your teeth with those things."_

_"Geeze, you name a guy's rat and he gets his knickers in a twist."  
_  
_"Take a deep breath mate. I'm sure Fred knows what he's doing."  
"Of course he doesn't. He's Fred."_


	4. Mercy's Madness

Thanks to OhTex for the review! I'm trying to get in at least 5 chapters before I leave on vacation on the 10th. Enjoy!

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4. Mercy's Madness

Wednesday morning Mercy woke up and checked the thermometer that was placed outside her window. The sun was shining and had all the indications of being a lovely day. It was depressing for her to think that she had to spend three hours in the dungeons with Snape first thing. The night's events came back to her and she sighed realizing that Oliver was her partner in that class. She didn't know why, but the boys' actions the night before had really struck a nerve. Maybe it was the fact that they were just looking out for her, or maybe it was that she was getting tired of them not trusting her judgment, but the thought of having to face them made Mercy feel tired.

Oliver and the twins were waiting for her in the common room, all with downcast looks. It was obvious that they hadn't meant any harm by their actions and were quite possibly sorry. It wasn't until they all started babbling that Mercy got any real information out of them.

"Really sorry"

"-such gits"

"-forgive us?"

"-bloody stupid"

"-don't deserve it but-"

"-would be fantastic-"

"-you always wanted to-"

"PLEASE?" They all whined.

"Sorry, I didn't catch all that." She teased.

"We're really sorry and in order to make it up to you we'd like to offer you a pickup football match Sunday." Oliver told her to which the twins just nodded furiously giving her identical puppy dog faces.

"You-you're willing to play football with me?" She asked with her mouth agape. Oliver had spent years listening to her explain the rules and go on about how he should really give the sport a try and he'd always refused saying it couldn't be fun because it wasn't on a broom.

"Think of it as our sincerest apology that we are willing to spend an afternoon playing the dullest sport ever." He responded.

"Oye! Shut it Wood!"

"Yeah, we actually want to play!" Mercy started laughing which turned into her doing a silly dance before hugging them all.

"I'll find people who want to play and we'll all meet on the pitch on Sunday at noon alright?" She said giddily.

The three boys merely nodded before grabbing her by the arm and dragging her to the great hall for breakfast. They chatted idly between their bacon and eggs and before they knew it, it was time to head off to class. Mercy and Oliver groaned about double potions and shuffled towards the dungeons. Before they entered the classroom Oliver stopped Mercy and handed her a small package. She quirked an eyebrow in his direction but he'd already taken his seat. With a shrug she opened the bag and saw a decent sized pile of choco balls; her favorite candy. It always amazed her how whenever she and Oliver got into a huge row or when she was upset about something he always managed to have these on hand. After popping one into her mouth she skipped into the room and sat next to him, giving him a chocolaty smile causing him to chuckle.

"You're going to rot your teeth with those things."

"Well then it's your fault for giving them to me now isn't it?"

"I don't regret my decision."

"Then don't complain when I have a shotty smile." She stuck her tongue out at him and the two sat through potions scribbling notes and eventually working on a Draught of Living Death. By the end of the period they had succeeded in making the draught, though it wasn't as potent as Snape would have liked, but he gave them an A out of the goodness of his slimy heart.

"Figures he'd give us an A. It was bloody potent enough for an E." Mercy muttered.

"Aww, relax Mercy. Have another choco ball."

"Okay."

"You really are pathetic."

"No, I just love chocolate."

They teased each other all the way to their charms class where again Oliver showed her up. It really wasn't fair that he had good looks, wicked skill on the Quidditch pitch and brains to match. Sure potions was his weakness, but even he managed to get into Snape's N.E.W.T. level class. Mercy on the other hand only had potions as a strength, well that and Care of Magical Creatures. Ancient Runes and Defense Against the Dark Arts she got lucky in every now and then. Her transfiguration was shotty and she was complete rubbish at Astronomy.

Flitwick was teaching them about the Bewitched Sleep charm which causes the target to be placed in a deep artificial sleep in which he or she doesn't need to breathe. Oliver poked Mercy in the ribs with his wand when she appeared to be lost in thought, causing her to jump. Luckily, Flitwick didn't notice and instructed the students to practice on some mice and lizards that he'd rounded up. Oliver immediately began performing the spell whereas Mercy was playing with her rat.

"Who's a good little cheese-stealer?" She cooed, rubbing the rat's stomach. "That's right, you're a good little cheese-stealer."

"You're not supposed to be making friends."

"But Martin is going to come with me to the kitchens and steal cheese. I do enjoy a good smoked Gouda, and I think he'd appreciate it as well." Mercy told him.

"You named the rat Martin?"

"Well I figured he should have a name."

"What have you been smoking?"

"Nothing."

"Mercy?"

"What?"

"It's time to put Martin down." Mercy held the rat to her chest, looking horrified at her friend. "Come on Mercy. Flitwick is coming back and he's going to want to see your rat dead."

"Let me use Louie then."

"Who's Louie?"

"Your rat."

"MERCY!"

"Okay, okay! Geeze, you name a guy's rat and he gets his knickers in a twist." She placed Martin on her desk, and after listening to Oliver explain the incantation and movements to her, she whispered a quick 'I'm sorry buddy' and said the charm, "_victus mortuus_". The rat fell limp and appeared to be dead. "OH MY GOSH I DID IT! I KILLED MARTIN!" She exclaimed just as Flitwick walked past their table.

"Very good Miss Gauge, Mr. Wood. Five points each to Gryffindor. You may say the counter curse and leave whenever you see fit." Flitwick approved before moving on to the next table.

"_Anhelo_!" Mercy nearly shouted while Oliver muttered it. The two rats sprang to life and Mercy clutched Martin while Oliver rolled his eyes, petting Louie. They packed up their things and began walking out of the room.

"Miss Gauge?" Mercy froze upon hearing her name come from the professor's mouth. "The rat please." She turned around and reluctantly returned Martin to his cage in the front of the room.

"Mercy! You actually tried to take him!"

"He wanted some Gouda!"

"Seriously Mercy, he wouldn't know Gouda from cheddar."

"Well I'd teach him. We'd have a wine and cheese party. OOH! Oliver can we have a wine and cheese party?" She exclaimed jumping up and down. Oliver was just glad she was done talking about taking the rat on a damn date.

"Since when do you like wine?"

"I don't, but I like cheese. Ooh we can have a firewhiskey and cheese party! You're brilliant Wood!" She hugged him and they headed to the common room for their free period. Since neither of them actually planned on doing anything after school that involved many subjects, they'd opted to take one free period instead of adding another class. Mercy had chosen Ancient Runes and Oliver picked Divination since it was an easy class.

That night Mercy was going on about how they were going to have a firewhiskey party and Fred and George looked at her with eyebrows raised. Oliver then had to recant their eventful charms class leaving Mercy to make a list of things they would need and who would be invited.

"Honestly gents, I don't know what's up with her. After potions she went sort of mental. She wanted to take her ruddy rat on a wine and cheese date." He whispered to them.

"Well, she does like cheese."

"You know how she gets with furry critters. D'ya remember your first trip to Hogsmeade when she tried to buy like six owls and eight cats?" George reminded him. It was true, although Mercy did not have any pets other than her family owl, she was obsessed with furry creatures and told the boys all the time that once she'd graduated, she was going to buy a dog. And maybe a cat. And possibly a few rabbits. But definitely a dog.

"At least you two have defense against the dark arts and care of magical creatures tomorrow. That should get her mind straight before the Hogsmeage trip." Fred noted. "Hagrid hasn't had us doing anything with furry creatures."

"Yeah we've been working with the Thestrals." Oliver told them, "Since she can't see them she doesn't think they're all that cute."

The conversation then turned to Hogsmeade and who had dates, who didn't, and what shops were necessary to visit. Mercy looked up from her party planning to remind the boys that they promised to go with her to the Three Broomsticks so she could grab a butterbeer. They merely nodded and waved her off. Oliver told the guys that he'd been asked out by three girls who he didn't even know which quite frankly scared him.

"I mean one of them was rather fit, but c'mon! If I don't know your ruddy name then I don't want to take you on a date. Am I right?"

"Truer words have never been spoken."

"Rather astonishing isn't it?"

"What about you two?"

"Well Fred's snagged a date with Angelina, so I have to make the Zonko's run on my own." Fred punched his brother and the faintest of blushes could be seen on his cheeks. He hadn't told Oliver about the date because inter-team dating was always tricky business and Oliver did his best to make sure his team avoided it at all costs. As it was, Oliver was tensing up as the words came out of George's mouth. Mercy instantly took notice and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Take a deep breath mate. I'm sure Fred knows what he's doing."

"Of course he doesn't. He's Fred." Oliver reminded her.

"That's a little harsh don't you think?"

"No…well…alright I guess…Dammit Mercy why do you always have to be rational when it comes to these two?"

"Because without me they wouldn't be on the team anymore and you need your star beaters." She teased. Fred gave her a hug in thanks.

"I promise Wood, nothing is going to go wrong. I have everything planned out and it won't hurt the team. Ange and I have already talked about it. We know this year means a lot to you so we agreed that if things go south we won't let it affect our playing. Beater's honor." Fred crossed his heart and smacked himself upside the head. It was something he and George had made up after their first year on the team. Although it was an extremely ridiculous gesture of sorts, Oliver took it as a sign that Fred was serious.

"Well then…good luck mate." Oliver patted Fred on the back before taking Mercy's party list and critiquing her supplies. This broke the tension and the four of them began figuring out everything together. It was agreed that it would be a Halloween party of sorts in the Room of Requirements and they would all make sure to buy costumes while in Hogsmeade. It was tradition that they wouldn't let each other see what they were going to be because it would be funnier that way. It was also fun for Mercy and Oliver to bet on whether or not Fred and George would come up with the same costume. Sometimes it was scary how similar the two were. Mercy would go shopping with Katie and Alicia and the boys would just have to figure theirs out on their own.

Once the planning was finished, Mercy was charged with the invitations since she had the neatest handwriting, Fred and George would set up the room, and Oliver was in charge of getting the drinks. Mercy agreed to make a bunch of food for the event. As they all scattered to start their homework, Mercy saw a blue notebook in Oliver's hand.

"Wood! That better be your potions homework! I don't want to have to burn the secrets to Gryffindor's success!"

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Hope you enjoyed it. Will Mercy ever see Martin again? Will they have a firewhiskey and cheese party? Probably not, but let's wait and see what happens in the next chapter. I promise a Hogsmeade trip and a football match! Please R/R!

Preview for Chapter 5

"_You know, I would have been more than happy to be your boyfriend."_

"_The Fat Lady's disappeared!"_

"_Honestly boys, you really need to watch more football."_


	5. Hogsmeade and Headers

Thanks to annnH! Reviews greatly appreciated and this chapter is dedicated to you! Enjoy!

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5. Hogsmeade and Headers

Saturday was finally upon them and Mercy woke to Katie and Alicia jumping on her bed, demanding that she help get Angelina ready for her date. She groaned, checked the temperature outside, changed into a pair of jeans and a green t-shirt and her favorite leather jacket, Mercy met the other girls in their dormitory where Angelina was throwing clothes all over the room. Katie and Alicia were trying to convince her that what she had on looked good, but Angelina was convinced that Fred wouldn't be stunned by it. Finally Mercy took the knee length denim skirt that Katie had been trying to get Ange to wear, and a long sleeved red shirt that went off the shoulder and tossed them to her friend, ordering her to put them on with a black scarf and a pair of black knee-high boots. To everyone's surprise, Angelina did as she was told and came out a few minutes later with a grin on her face.

After giving them a smug smile, Mercy went to the common room where her four boys were waiting patiently. She explained the situation and they thanked Mercy for hurrying the clothing process. Lee told them that he had a date with a Hufflepuff girl and hurried out of the common room to go meet her. Angelina came down a few minutes later with the other girls and she and Fred stood awkwardly for a minute before agreeing it was time to head to the carriages. Oliver, Mercy and George chuckled and headed out a little behind them, as to give the couple privacy.

They entered Hogsmeade in high spirits, being lead to Zonko's by an enthusiastic George who was practically skipping upon seeing the new shipment of wet-start fireworks. Mercy grabbed a few dungbombs and sugar quills. She knew she'd need the latter for charms class. Oliver picked out a bar of frog-spawn soap to send to his younger brother Eric. After, they made their way to the Quidditch supply shop so Oliver could get the latest book on Quidditch plays. Mercy just shook her head at his excitement. They then made their way to the Three Broomsticks, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"So what'll it be gents? Three butterbeers?" Mercy asked. The two boys nodded and began taking out some money. "First round is on me." She smiled and skipped towards the bar. George and Oliver began talking about things going on at school and the party that they were planning.

At the bar, Mercy waited on a stool for Madam Rosemerta to come around so she could give in her order. In a matter of minutes, a boy sat down next to her and tried to talk her up. It was obvious that he had graduated from Hogwarts, or some other wizarding academy because he mentioned that he worked over at Dervish and Bangs. Mercy tried to be polite, idly chatting with him while waiting for her drink order.

"So, love, what brings you to the Broomsticks?" he asked while leaning against the bar top.

"Hogsmeade trip."

"So you're at Hogwarts."

"Yeah."

"You here with anyone?"

"Yeah, my boyfriend." She said a little hesitantly.

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, he's over there with our friend." She waved at Oliver and George who were watching her carefully. Oliver waved back, wondering what was taking so long. The guy didn't seem convinced and tried to pry more information out of Mercy but she just paid Rosemerta and carefully carried the three mugs of butterbeer to the table, purposely taking the seat next to Oliver and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He quirked an eyebrow but shrugged it off and put his arm around her chair like he always did. George seemed to know what Mercy was doing and merely rolled his eyes.

"You know, I would have been more than happy to be your boyfriend." He told her, wiggling his eyebrows. Oliver nearly spit out his drink.

"I know Georgie boy, but Oliver here is more intimidating. That guy wouldn't have seen you as a threat."

"But I _am_ the better kisser." George told her.

"I don't know that." She teased.

"Both of you hang on a bloody minute!" Oliver exclaimed looking between his two friends. "What in Merlin's beard is going on?"

"Honestly Wood, you're bloody blind. That bloke was hitting on Mercy and she told him you were her boytoy."

"You did?" Mercy shrugged. He got a mischievous smirk on his face. "Well then love, want me to go kick his arse?" He put his arm around Mercy's shoulders and leaned in to her ear. "Or we could go find somewhere a little more private."

"WOOD! You bloody pervert!" She exclaimed pushing him away. "Maybe I should have said George was my boyfriend."

"Nah, then you'd be forced to test his and Fred's products."

"This is true."

They continued arguing over who was a better boyfriend for Mercy while the guy from the bar kept glancing at her. Oliver made sure to keep his arm either on her waist or over the back of her chair, giving the guy a protective glare whenever he caught his eye. George took quick note that Oliver was getting rather close to going over board and suggested that they head to Honeydukes before calling it a day. Mercy readily agreed and downed the rest of her drink, pulling Oliver up by his arm.

Once in the sweet shop, everything seemed to go back to normal. Mercy ran to the choco balls, Oliver to the fudge, and George to the wall of every flavor beans. They tried some of the free samples of fizzing whizbies, laughing when Mercy flipped upside down due to lack of gravity. The boys helped her down, allowing her to regain what little pride she had left. At the counter Mercy tried to pry the recipe for choco balls from the owner, Mr. Flume. He was a scrawny older man who loved Hogwarts students and had a soft spot for Mercy. Every year, during each Hogsmeade trip she tried to get any recipe from him but he never let up. All they knew was that apart from the magical elements, each candy was made by hand which is what drew Mercy to the shop in the first place.

"You can know the recipe when you take a job here once you graduate." Mr. Flume told her.

"You know that's not going to happen, so why not just give me the recipe?" She tried with an innocent grin. "You're going to have to tell someone and why not me?"

"The person who will learn my recipes will be the one who takes over the shop. That's my final word on it Miss Gauge." He smiled and ushered her out of the shop. She was devastated, as per usual, but vowed the old man would tell her one day. Oliver and George rolled their eyes as they spotted Alicia and Katie sitting on one of the many benches enjoying some ice cream.

"Oye! Will you two take her please?" George whined. "She almost got into a row with Mr. Flume again!"

"Bloody embarrassing she is!" The girls giggled as Mercy was forced upon them.

"That's fine. We have to get our costumes anyway." Alicia and Katie grabbed Mercy by the arms and pulled her towards the costume shop. Mercy was muttering about boys being arses to which Alicia just chuckled and told her to pick out an amazing costume to get them back with. It was definitely good revenge seeing as if Mercy wore a sexy costume the boys would be fending potential suitors away from Mercy the whole night. Payback was a bitch afterall.

Katie handed Mercy a pile of costumes and pushed her into a changing room with her and Alicia taking the rooms on either side. The first costume Mercy nixed after two seconds of wearing. Either these skirts had gotten shorter, or her bottom was bigger because the fabric barely covered her. Sexy nurse: out of the question. It wasn't that Mercy was opposed to wearing revealing outfits, her daisy duke costume last year had been a complete success, but she drew a line at boys seeing her knickers. The second costume wasn't much better: a sexy Auror. How people came up with these ideas was a mystery to her.

Alicia shouted for her to hurry up because they were done. Luckily Mercy had just put on her third and final costume and smiled knowing this would go over wonderfully as well as be a little comfortable. The three exited the shop and saw the boys lurking in the men's section, trying to hide their purchases from everyone. They waved and headed to the carriages in order to get back to Hogwarts before dinner.

Oliver met up with them in the Great Hall and immediately began asking Mercy about the positions in football again. He was trying to figure out where he would be and once Mercy reminded him of the keeper position, he hugged her. She even offered to help him that night with his skills, warning him that she would not go easy on him the following afternoon if they happened to be on opposing teams.

She lead him out to the Quidditch pitch and conjured up a soccer goal, handing him her spare pair of keeper gloves. Slowly, she worked him up from tossing the ball in general directions, to taking shots at random angles. They were at it for nearly an hour when Mercy called it quits. Upon reaching the portrait, they found everyone crowded around the Fat Lady's photo.

"What's going on?" Oliver asked.

"The Fat Lady's disappeared!" Someone exclaimed. It was eventually discovered that Sirius Black had made his way into Gryffindor Tower and Dumbledore ordered everyone to the Great Hall where purple sleeping bags were waiting for them. Mercy and Oliver grabbed two near Fred, George and Lee and talked through most of the night about how Black could have entered the castle.

The next morning Mercy woke up at ten and checked the weather. It was a crisp sixty-five degrees and cloudy: the perfect weather for football. When it was announced that they could all return to their dormitories, she immediately changed into a pair of football shorts and a white Blackpool t-shirt, grabbed her cleats and shin-guards and ran down the stairs. She was greeted by the twins, Oliver, Lee and the girls who all wore something similar, though without the cleats and shin-guards. They made their way to the great hall to eat. Mercy was bouncing in her seat the entire time, the smile not leaving her face. Oliver chuckled and smacked her upside the head with the goalie gloves from yesterday. She needed to stop bouncing and start eating or they'd never make it to the pitch.

Upon reaching the pitch, Mercy noticed that there were more people than had signed up to play. Dean Thomas greeted her and told her that a bunch of people showed up to watch. Apparently word had gotten out to the Muggle Studies professor and it was extra credit if a student went to the game and wrote a five-hundred word essay on the event. _Lovely_. Mercy and Dean began instructing everyone in the rules of the game and then a warm up that consisted of two laps around the pitch, stretching, passing drills and shots on the two goalies. People were impressed by how good Oliver was. This caused Mercy to roll her eyes. It was basically the same position that he played in Quidditch, just without the bloody broom. Mercy and Dean were picked to be the two captains and with the toss of a coin by one of the referees (a Muggleborn Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff), it was decided that Dean would make the first pick.

"Wood."

"Ah fuck you Thomas, Weasley"

"Which one?"

"Both?"

"Fine then I get Jordan and Hill."

"Matthews."

"Farris."

"Parks."

"Bell."

"Johnson."

"Spinnet."

"Grahm."

"Davidson."

"Finch."

"Allen."

"Nichol."

"Cooper."

"Richardson."

"Smith."

"And that gives me Clarke. Since you got to pick, your team is shirts." Mercy told him, tossing him the bag of red Quidditch scrimmage vests. Everyone huddled up with their team and Mercy told everyone their positions. Fred and George were on defense, Angelina was a midfielder, and Mercy took it upon herself to be a forward along with Jason Parks and Adam Nichol, two muggleborns who knew the game well. It was time to put Oliver's keeper skills to the test.

The game started and the ball took off at a flying pace as Mercy passed it to Jason, who crossed it over to Adam. The other team's defender stole the ball and passed it to Katie who was waiting for it and Angelina challenged her in the mid-field. It was back and forth for a while, neither team scoring until Fred passed the ball up to Jason who was abnormally fast for a sixteen year old. He crossed the ball to Mercy who was ahead of him and she did a bicycle kick towards the goal. Oliver was too busy watching her move to realize that the ball was coming towards him and in his delayed reaction, dove for the ball and missed.

"GGGOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!" Adam shouted, running over and hugging Mercy. She hugged him back and gave Oliver the 'I'm watching you' hand gesture with a smirk on her face. The crowd was in awe. Fred and George rushed to her and asked her if she was alright, to which she shrugged them off and told them that she was fine.

"Honestly boys, you really need to watch more football." She teased as the game started up again. Dean scored the next goal and everyone was really getting into it. The spectators had picked teams and had given them names. Dean's team was the Warriors and Mercy's was the Rangers. Neither team knew where the names came from, but they didn't protest. It only hyped them up more when the fans began chanting the team names. The forwards from both teams performed spectacular shots on goal and the two keepers were only happy to reciprocate with equally amazing saves. Clarke was really working in the goal since Dean appeared to know what he was doing.

The clouds had finally opened up and it started to rain as halftime was called. Fred and George high-fived everyone and hugged Mercy. The score was still 1-1, meaning that the second half would decide it all. Adam was the one to give the pep talk during half time since Fred and George were trying to get Mercy to check her temperature.

"Mercy, you're looking peaky. Please?" Fred begged. Mercy rolled her eyes and kept her stare on her watch as she checked her pulse.

"Guys, I'm fine, really. I don't know where you're getting this peaky bit from, but I feel peachy."

"For us?" They said together, giving her identical puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine." She put her hand out and George placed a thermometer in it. After a few minutes she removed the stick and showed the boys.

"_See_? 98.7 degrees. I'm fine. Now let's play some football!" She shouted as the refs blew the whistle.

The second half was played on a muddy field in the rain. For those used to Quidditch, this proved to be difficult since they were more likely to slip in the mud. The muggleborns didn't let this stop them and they plowed through everyone. Dean scored again on Clarke who _juuusssttt_ missed the ball due to a slip in the mud. Adam took the ball across the field and passed to Jason who kicked a spectacular ball into the upper left corner of the goal that Oliver missed to tie the score.

"Alright everyone, two minutes left!" The referee announced as Dean prepared to start the game back up. Everyone nodded, knowing that they weren't going into overtime or a shootout. That had been agreed on once it started to rain. Mercy nodded to Adam and Jason and they moved to intercept the ball. Jason got the ball easily from one of Dean's forwards and crossed it to Adam, switching to the middle and Mercy moved to the outer left of the field. Adam moved closer to the goal and at the last minute crossed the ball as Mercy ran into goal position. She quickly jumped and headed the ball into the goal, knocking Oliver over in the process, both of them landing in a mud puddle. The whistle sounded and that was the game.

Mercy stood up, helped Oliver up, and then proceeded to lift her white shirt up over her head and run around the field screaming bloody murder. Adam caught her as she jumped in the air and they fell to the ground laughing, the rest of the team piling on top of them afterwards. The crowd cheered and Oliver could have sworn he saw galleons being passed between people. Both teams lined up and shook hands.

"Good game Wood." Mercy said cheekily.

"You too. That was bloody fantastic what you did out there. You should be a chaser." He grinned. She shrugged.

"Meh. I prefer to keep my feet firmly on the ground thank you very much."

"Let's get out of the rain and into some dry clothes." He suggested, putting his arm around her. She nodded as the twins flanked them and they headed back to the tower to get warm and clean.

"And Mercy."

"Yes Wood?"

"Quidditch is still better than football." He teased before running ahead. Mercy shouted and ran after him throughout the castle and into the seventh-year boys' dormitory where Oliver locked himself in the bathroom. Mercy only gave up after she heard the water turn on and the twins carried her out of Oliver's dorm, demanding that she go shower and warm up.

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That's all for this chapter! I won't be updating until probably July 18th because I'm going on vacation, but please R/R! I have 7 chapters written for this story already and I don't plan on stopping!

Preview for Chapter 6:

_"Honestly Wood, it's like you eat more of my food on gameday than your own." _

_"Oye!" She called, "HEY! FRED! GEORGE?... QUIDDITCH PEOPLE!" _

_"You will not blame yourself Oliver Wood or Merlin help me I will hex you into next year."_

_"Bloody hell Mercy! I'm going to be fending guys off all night!"_

By the way, if you want to see what Mercy looks like, check out the harrypotterfanfiction site because I've got chapter images and a banner giving my depictions thanks to the lovely artists at TDA and my boyfriend!_  
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	6. When It Rains

_Special Thanks to: callmedaynuhh, MoonysMate and Child of the Flowers for the reviews. You guys are awesome! Enjoy the chapter! It's dedicated to you three!_

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6. When it Rains 

Everyone was talking about the football match the rest of the week, even a few Slytherins, who admitted that it didn't look like that terrible of a sport. It was now time for another sporting event: the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch match. Well, that's what it should have been except for the fact that earlier in the week it had been announced that Slytherin's Seeker (Stupid bloody Malfoy as Harry called him), was unable to play, so Gryffindor would have to play Hufflepuff. Oliver was furious when they found out. He'd been looking forward to kicking some Slytherin arse and was now worrying about whether or not his team was ready for Hufflepuff since they'd been preparing for Slytherin. His team reassured him on numerous occasions that they were more than ready, but it was Mercy who had to listen to the most of it and did her best to calm him down.

"Honestly Wood, Diggory is a bloody good Seeker, but Potter is better. He's never lost a match." She told him the morning of the match. Oliver nodded and looked down to make sure his team was eating, pushing the eggs around on his own plate.

She knew he was upset because she wouldn't be able to make it to the game. Snape had given her detention for being out after hours the night before. She blamed Fred and George because they'd forced her to go to the kitchens to get them some hot chocolate because they were too busy with their inventions to get some themselves. So now, instead of going to the game, she was forced to clean the trophy room for probably the tenth time in her duration at Hogwarts. And it was _always_ Fred and George's fault.

"Katie, eat something." He told his Chaser. She gave him a small smile and took a rather large bite of toast with jam gaining a nod of approval from her captain.

"You should eat too." Mercy whispered in his ear. "You'll be useless if you don't." She buttered his toast and put it in front of him. He was always like this and she always knew how to get him to do what he had to. That was something Oliver loved about Mercy. Oliver snapped his head up in panic. Had he just thought that? He looked over at Mercy who was eyeing him suspiciously, dangling a piece of bacon from her mouth. Oliver shook his head of these thoughts and ripped the bacon from her mouth and putting it in his. She chuckled and grabbed two more pieces, giving Oliver one and taking the other for herself.

"Honestly Wood, it's like you eat more of my food on gameday than your own." She flicked some of her hashbrowns at him which he flinched at and went back to eating his own food, though at a much slower pace than usual. Once he'd cleared his plate he ordered the rest of his team to follow him to the pitch. Mercy walked with them to the doors and she wished all of them good luck before heading to the trophy room.

Once there, Filch handed her a can of polish and two rags, telling her to get to it. With a sigh, Mercy began the task before her. Fred and George had told her a few tricks about the trophy room since they'd been in detention more times than she could count. The trophies in the back didn't need to be as shiny as the ones up front and when Filch was gone she could clean each trophy with magic. Filch never really checked anyway, as long as the task was done he didn't care. Mercy was delayed more than usual because Filch lingered for longer than expected. It was like he knew she wanted to get to the Quidditch match as quick as possible.

Two hours later, Mercy rushed out of the trophy room and into the entry hall where she just managed to catch a glimpse of Gryffindor Quidditch robes heading towards the hospital wing.

"Oye!" She called, "HEY! FRED! GEORGE?... QUIDDITCH PEOPLE!" She shouted, running towards them. All she had to do was look at their faces to know the game had not gone well. "What the bloody hell happened?"

"Dementor showed up."

"Harry fell."

"Hufflepuff won." Was the only explanation she received.

"Where's Wood?" Mercy demanded more than asked, knowing what a loss could do to her friend.

"Drowning himself in the showers." George told her. With a quick nod she ran towards the doors leading outside. "MERCY YOU NEED A JACKET!" was the last thing she heard as she stepped out into a torrential downpour. _Well, maybe Wood is showering outside on this lovely evening._ She thought to herself as she made her way to the pitch. Her clothes were soaked through and she waited in the middle of the pitch for Oliver. She refused to step foot in the locker rooms and he knew it. The rain beat down harder and Mercy knew this wouldn't be good for her health.

"Oh fuck it." She walked towards the locker rooms and entered without knocking. Her eyes were closed just in case he was changing, but upon hearing the shower running Mercy knew she was safe. "Oye, Wood!" She called. There was no response. "Wood I'm in here because it's bloody wet outside so don't come out stark naked!" Again, no response. "Wood?...Oliver?" She walked towards the showers and saw Oliver leaning into the water, supporting himself with his arms against the tiled wall.

"We lost." He croaked, "We lost because of me."

"Come again?" Mercy was shocked he hadn't rushed over to grab a towel. As it was, she was still far enough away where the four-foot wall surrounding the showers was covering Oliver's bottom half.

"I should have seen Potter falling and called for a time out." He whispered as though he hadn't heard her.

"Oliver it's not your fault." She told him, daring an extra step forward. This time his body stiffened, finally realizing she was there. "We can get a rematch."

"Diggory offered me one."

"And?"

"I turned it down. It was a fair catch." Mercy sat on one of the benches, her jaw hitting the ground. Oliver Wood had turned down a perfectly legitimate rematch. The water turned off and Oliver walked out of the showers with a towel around him.

"I'm proud of you Oliver." Mercy looked him in the eye. She could tell he was feeling guilty about what had happened, but for once, it wasn't his fault. There had been plenty of times where he'd worked his team too hard and Mercy was there to rip him a new one after someone was injured during a game because of his stupidity. This time was different.

"What do I do Mercy?" he sat down next to her, staring at his lap. Mercy took her hand and turned his face towards her, making him look her in the eye.

"You check on your seeker. You tell your team you'll see what can be done about the Dementors for the next match. You will prepare for your next game against Ravenclaw. You _will not_ blame yourself Oliver Wood or Merlin help me I will hex you into next year."

"Thank you Mercy." He hugged her and Mercy rubbed his back…his extremely wet back. "Bloody hell girl! You're freezing!" He exclaimed, finally looking her over. Her hair was drenched and stuck to her face. Her clothes were soaked through and freezing. Her lips were purple.

"And you're half naked. I think you're in more of a predicament than I am." She teased.

"Mercy I have to get you up to the tower and dried off!" He exclaimed. "You need a hot shower and tea." She tried to wave him off but Oliver quickly changed his clothes, grabbed his umbrella and rushed her up to Gryffindor Tower where the twins looked like they were going to kill her.

"Right git you are!" George scolded, giving Mercy his best Mrs. Weasley impression.

"Had us worried."

"You look like you were standing out on the pitch the entire time!"

"Upstairs."

"Shower."

"NOW!" Mercy held her hands up in her defense and went to take a shower, checking the water's temperature before she stepped in. Oliver sat with the twins as they yelled at him for keeping Mercy out in the rain. They didn't even bring up the Gryffindor loss and Oliver decided to check on Harry before heading to the kitchens to get himself and Mercy two very strong cups of tea. Harry didn't blame him and told him numerous times that if it hadn't been for the Dementor, Gryffindor would have won. Oliver apologized once more before he left, letting Harry know that just because he didn't have a broom didn't mean he couldn't practice which made Harry laugh. The House elves, upon hearing that Mercy was the one he was bring tea for, made Oliver a huge basket of tea and cookies and an assortment of fruits and other treats that they knew she loved.

"Make sure the tea isn't too hot before Miss Mercy drinks it. We don't want her burned." Winky told him when she handed the basket over. Oliver nodded and took the basket back to the tower where Mercy was sitting in front of the fire with a thermometer in her mouth, Fred and George watching her anxiously.

"Ninety-eight point seven boys. Calm the fuck down." She teased, waving the thermometer in their faces. "I'm just a bit cold that's all."

"Winky sends her love." Oliver told her, holding up the basket. Mercy clapped and cleared off the coffee table which was currently holding her Transfiguration homework that she had wanted to work on before the twins began fretting over her. They sat down and enjoyed their tea (Fred and George took care of making sure Mercy's wasn't too hot by "taste testing" it) and goodies, appreciating everything from the elves. Once the twins were satisfied that Mercy was warm enough, they went off to their dormitory to work on one of their inventions which left Oliver to help Mercy with her homework. He even brought down his own book bag to do some of his own. Afterall, they didn't have to worry about planning the party until the following morning. As it was, Oliver wasn't sure he wanted to go.

Saturday morning, Fred and George set to making sure that the Room of Requirements was ready for the party. Mercy had spent all of Saturday morning and most of the afternoon in the kitchens working alongside the house elves to make a wide assortment of finger foods that would scare the begeezus out of you. Dirt pudding with worms that actually moved around the pot, eyeball olives for martinis and snacking, ghost and pumpkin cupcakes, trays of roasted pumpkin seeds, ghost, witch, pumpkin and mummy cookies and finger sandwiches, sausage wrapped in crescent rolls that slithered around the tray like snakes, caramel and candy apples galore, and a cheese-ball goblin that screamed when you cut into it.

It was nearing four o'clock when she finally levitated all the food into the Room of Requirements and headed to the tower to get herself cleaned up and dressed in her costume. Fred and George had promised her that they would get Oliver to the party. After all, it was his fault that she'd thought of the stupid party, so he had to go. Mercy showered and dried her hair quickly, allowing it to fall down into its natural curl. Angelina had told her that since her costume had a hat, it would be impossible for Mercy to wear her hair in a ponytail. Mercy put on her costume and a pair of black peep-toe pumps, as well as a nice smoky eye effect with her eye shadow. With a final touch of lip gloss, Mercy was ready for the night.

She entered the Room of Requirements with the girls and instantly switched into character for a bit. The dress she wore was white and looked like a straight jacket, though she was able to free her hands since they were only secured with Velcro. The hem reached her mid-thigh so it wasn't too revealing, but enough to turn a few heads. That is…until she started running around like a crazy person. Everyone laughed and one boy who was dressed as a Healer came over and told everyone that he would cure her illness. This increased the laughter, until Fred and George, dressed in identical 50s gangster costumes took her away from the Healer and moved her towards the drinks table kicking and screaming.

"You know, it's not a good idea to give a crazy person an alcoholic beverage." She teased, freeing her hands from behind her back. The twins laughed and complimented her on her costume and performance. "By the way, Wood owes me two galleons. I said you would be dressed the same and he didn't believe me. Where is that git?" She looked around and the twins turned her towards the food table where someone dressed as Zorro was trying to catch a gummy worm from the pot of dirt.

"He's Zorro?" Mercy asked. The twins nodded and lead her over to the masked man. "Nice costume Oliver." She said stealing the worm he had managed to grab.

"Hey!" He looked her up and down. "Bloody hell Mercy! I'm going to be fending guys off all night!"

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Well…what do you think? I think Oliver would make an awesome Zorro and the twins would look amazing as 50s gangsters. Please R/R!

Anywho…here's your preview for Chapter 7:

"_I didn't mean with me! What the bloody hell are you thinking?"_

"_I'm thinking that if I ever see you in a ridiculously short skirt again, I'll do more than just kiss you, love."_

"_Heard you had an eventful night mate."_


	7. Weasleys to the Rescue

Thanks so much to: xXxCastielxXx, Child of the Flowers, callmedaynuhh, and Karismatic Khaos for the reviews! This chapter is dedicated to you four!

And now…for the thrilling conclusion to Halloween! Enjoy!

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7. Weasleys to the Rescue

Mercy spent a good portion of the party running around like a crazy person, with the Healer following her. It was honestly a good act until Adam Nichol, the boy from the soccer game picked her up and carried her to the dance floor. Once he put her down, Adam convinced her to dance, which Mercy readily accepted. He put his hands on her waist and she put hers around his neck and they danced for a while, laughing at things the other said and enjoying each other's company. Adam was dressed as a police officer so it was only fitting that he put his handcuffs on her wrist. Mercy smiled and clipped them together around his neck.

Oliver, who was also on the dance floor with his crush Lindsey McClure, found it hard not to keep his eye on Mercy. She looked fantastic in her costume and it wasn't as slutty as a lot of the other girls'. Lindsey was trying to get his attention and Oliver did his best to give it to her. Mercy caught his eye and she waved as best she could through the handcuffs. Adam turned and waved as well, giving Oliver the thumbs up in regards to Lindsey. She was a good looking girl with long blonde hair and a nice body as well as a perfect mix of girliness and brains.

"So Oliver, want to go get a drink?" Lindsey asked after they'd danced for a few songs. He nodded and together they sat at a table and talked about classes and things they enjoyed. Oliver could tell that she wasn't all that interested in Quidditch, but pretended to be for his sake. He found out that she was at the top of the N.E.W.T. Charms class and that she wanted to work for the Ministry after school. There was no doubt in Oliver's mind that she would do that.

On the dance floor Mercy and Adam were talking about football and it was turning into a heated debate of whose team was better, though neither were taking the insults too seriously. Adam was a Tottenham fan and his team was ranked rather high in the league, but Mercy still insisted that Blackpool would kick their arses.

"Honestly, your firm is called the Yids. I can't bloody take you seriously."

"Oh and the Muckers is better? Wait, you know about the firms?" He asked, referring to football firms, groups of hooligans who would defend their team after games with fights against other teams' firms.

"Of course I bloody know about firms! The Muckers are the best!" She exclaimed, talking about Blackpool's firm.

"I don't give a rat's arse about the firms. They're a bunch of nutters! Tottenham is a better club and we're going to crush Blackpool when we face you."

"Well I disagree." Mercy smirked. "We're going to kick your arses."

"How about we agree to disagree, love?" He suggested, a playful grin on his face. Adam took a step closer to her and Mercy matched his step.

"I guess we can do that."

"It's a deal then." He closed the distance between them and kissed her. When they pulled away, he took her by the cuffed hand and led her into a corner of the room where an intense snogging session broke out.

Oliver looked up from his conversation with Lindsey and didn't see Mercy on the floor anymore. He immediately scanned the room and she was nowhere in sight. Fred and George came over in his panic and informed him that she had last been seen in a corner with Nichol. Although he tried not to let it show, Oliver was furious. That Nichol guy was taking advantage of her just because she showed up in a skimpy outfit. He jumped up from his seat and rushed around the room until he saw Mercy leaning against a wall snogging Nichol.

"Get the bloody hell off of her!" He shouted, ripping Adam off of Mercy. She looked at him angrily and Adam looked shocked.

"Sorry mate, I didn't know she was spoken for. Can't blame a guy for tryin'" Adam said, trying not to get on Oliver's bad side.

"I'm not." Mercy hissed, her eyes never leaving Oliver's, her arms crossed. "Care to explain yourself?"

"You were snogging him."

"Yes. I am quite aware of that."

"You. Were snogging. Him."

"And your point is?" Neither of them noticed Adam excusing himself from the conversation.

"He was only snogging you because of your outfit."

"That's not true Oliver. Adam and I have been hanging out ever since the football game. You'd know that if you paid attention to anything except your playbook."

"You shouldn't be snogging him."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why? Because you say so?"

"Because he's not the bloke for you."

"Oh like you have _any_ say in my love life. I don't get involved in yours unless you ask for my help and _newsflash_ Oliver, I didn't ask for your help." Oliver pulled her out of the Room of Requirements and into a darkened hallway.

"Why don't you ever listen to me?" He asked, pinning her against the cold wall.

"I listen to you."

"You listen to the twins more. When they tell you not to do something, you don't do it."

"That's because the twins care about my health. _You_ only care about who I'm snogging. Seriously Oliver, you do this with every guy that shows an interest in me. I'm bloody sick of it."

"Yeah well I don't like the idea of guys running their hands all over my best mate."

"And I don't think the same about your little conquests?" She exclaimed. Alright, Oliver had had a few girlfriends, but not enough to the point where he was a player. He was a solid boyfriend and always tried to do right by each girl he dated, but Mercy had never liked any of his previous girlfriends. Call it intuition, but she never pictured any of them as "the one".

"I can snog whomever I want, whenever I want." She told him. "As can you. You don't see me telling you not to snog someone."

"So I can snog whoever I want without you arguing?"

"You do it anyway. I just don't get why I don't get the same courte-" Oliver's lips came crashing down on hers. She could smell the alcohol on him and tried to push him off of her. He didn't know what he was doing and honestly, it just felt weird, like made her stomach flip, weird. When he did pull away, he had a mischievous grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.

"Wood!"

"Ah-ah. No arguing. You said it yourself." He teased.

"I didn't mean with me! What the bloody hell are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that if I ever see you in a ridiculously short skirt again, I'll do more than just kiss you, love." He whispered right below her ear, making Mercy's pulse quicken.

"Wood…you're out of your mind. You need to get to bed. You've obviously had too much to drink and don't know what you're saying." She managed to get out, trying to move away from the wall.

"I'm not leaving you here at the mercy of these other blokes. As long as you're here. I'm right here with you." He clicked his hand into the other holder of Adam's handcuffs, attaching himself to Mercy. She rolled her eyes and began dragging him towards Gryffindor Tower. He was honestly freaking her out. This was more protective than he'd ever been and Mercy was starting to worry that her best mate might actually have feelings for her. She tried to push these thoughts out of her mind and concentrate on getting him to bed without the worry of a hangover the following morning. When she'd finally managed to pull him up to the boys' dormitory, she set to getting the handcuffs undone, which she had to use Oliver's wand for since she had nowhere to keep hers in her outfit. Throwing the pieces of cheap metal aside, Mercy handed him the glass of water and two muggle advil she'd had waiting on his bedside table.

"Drink." She ordered, making sure he drank the entire glass before re-filling it and placing a garbage pail at his bedside. She moved to leave, but Oliver grabbed her hand. "Wood, let me go."

"Stay. Please?"

"I'm not sleeping in this costume, so no." He tossed her a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "I'm still not sleeping here." She crossed her arms.

"I don't want you going back to the party." He stood up and held her by the waist firmly. Mercy tried to tell him that she had no intention of going back, but he didn't remove his grip. "I want you to stay here." His eyes were pleading and Mercy knew that even if he was completely smashed at the moment, he wouldn't do anything to harm her. The request was sincere. So, with a sigh, Mercy grabbed the clothes he'd offered and walked into the bathroom to change.

"You owe me big time Wood." She called through the door. Receiving no response, Mercy exited the bathroom and saw Oliver asleep on his bed with his legs hanging over the side. She moved his legs onto the bed so that he wouldn't have cramps in the morning and laid herself down on top of the covers so that there was some form of boundary between them.

Mercy woke up the next morning and attempted to roll over, only to find a solid form preventing her motion. She looked around and realized she wasn't in her bed since there were Quidditch posters and boxers littering the room. Her eyes widened when the night's events flashed in her mind. Shifting positions, Mercy saw that she had managed to stay on top of the covers and Oliver had his back to her. That was possibly the best result after what had happened. She conjured up two more advil for when he woke up, and hurried out of the dormitory, thankful that no one else was awake. It appeared she was the only one not to get sloshed that night.

She quickly ran into her room, grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom as quietly as possible so that she wouldn't wake her roommates and the men they'd found during the night. After she was clean, moisturized and had fresh breath, Mercy snuck back out and headed to the common room to wait for the boys so they could all go get breakfast. Yes, things were going to be awkward between her and Oliver, but Mercy was hoping that he wouldn't remember. Okay, hoping was an understatement. She was praying to every god imaginable that he wouldn't remember. It was going to be hard enough to act normally without him being awkward as well.

"Hey Mercy!" The twins exclaimed jumping over the back of the couch.

"Why are you watching the fire?"

"Something bothering you?"

"Did Nichol hurt you?"

"We saw Wood drag you out of the party."

"Did something happen?"

"Wood kissed me." She muttered.

"We'll kill hi-"

"Wait, what?"

"Oliver kissed me." She repeated, not looking them in the eye. "What am I supposed to do? He's my best mate and said he wants to snog me." The twins looked at each other, putting the pieces together. Oliver had basically told Mercy he liked her. He hadn't even told them that.

"Guys? Did you guys know about this?"

"It's not Wood's fault." Fred immediately responded.

"What do you mean it's not his fault? I didn't bloody tell him to kiss me!"

"No. It's our fault."

"What?"

"I thought it had gotten into Nichol's drink with the way he'd been acting." He looked at George who instantly picked up and understanding dawned on his face.

"Bloody hell! Wood got that?"

"Got what?"

"I thought you'd put it in Nichol's drink."

"I thought I did!"

"Good going George."

"GUYS!" Mercy shouted.

"Wood kissed you"

"Because he drank"

"A love potion." They finished.

"A love potion?" She looked between them, trying to comprehend what they'd told her. They nodded with guilty looks on their faces. "How'd you two get a hold of a love potion?"

"We made it."

"Great product."

"Just had to try it out."

"So you decided to try it out on me. Without my consent? Without my knowledge?"

"Figured you wouldn't mind if it was Nichol."

"Bloke had a thing for you anyway."

"Would have just been the extra nudge he needed."

"BUT WOOD GOT IT!" She shouted.

"Minor setback."

"At least we know it works." Fred smiled. "Oye, George, let's go check on him. The effects should have worn off by now." They jumped up and ran towards the stairs leading to the dormitories.

"Be back in a few."

Oliver woke up that morning with a tiny headache. He rolled over and grabbed the two muggle headache pills that were always there after he drank. As the pills slid down his throat he thought back to everything that happened before he fell asleep and his eyes bugged out. He'd kissed Mercy. He'd basically told her that he wanted to snog her senseless. Why'd he do that? _Well, she'd been snogging Nichol. I had to do something._ He shook his head. It was Mercy's decision who she snogged. He had no place taking her away from Nichol. He was just…jealous? Had Oliver been jealous about Mercy snogging someone else?

"No. That can't be it." He told himself, rubbing his face. "I was just sloshed and she…she looked bloody fantastic." He fell back onto his bed. "Bollocks." The door slammed open and the twins rushed into the room jumping on Oliver's bed, making him groan. He now had to tell two of his mates about what happened.

"Guys…" He started.

"Heard you had an eventful night mate." George teased, forcing Oliver into a sitting position.

"Had a lovely moment with our dear Mercy from what we've been told." Fred added, prodding Oliver in the ribs.

"Who told you?"

"Mercy." They said with a grin as Oliver groaned again. If Mercy had told them, then she was worried about what had happened which worried him. If she thought that he liked her than things were going to be weird. It was already going to be weird enough while he figured out what he really felt.

"Don't worry. We took care of it."

"You owe us big time mate."

"What do you mean?"

"She thinks we slipped you a love potion accidentally."

"And did you?" They looked at each other.

"Nope." They grinned.

"She believes us. So don't worry."

"Care to explain yourself though?"

"Not really." He admitted. "I don't know what happened. I was sloshed."

"You like her."

"Think she's pretty-"

"funny-"

"smart-"

"dateable-"

"snogable-"

"You liiiiiiiiiiike her." They chorused. There was a knock on the door and Mercy asked if they were ready to get some food. The twins nodded, hopped out of Oliver's bed and thanked Mercy for the advil. This left Mercy standing in the doorway waiting for Oliver. He threw on a pair of pants and a shirt, grabbed his shoes and walked past her to follow the twins, ruffling her hair as she went. He didn't get too far though because she grabbed his arm.

"Wood?"

"Yeah."

"Things aren't going to be weird just because the wonder twins decided to try and snag me a date with Nichol, are they?" Oliver felt his anger raise as she mentioned Nichol. He looked over at her and smiled.

"O'course not. I probably owe him an apology huh?" It was a miracle he'd gotten that sentence out without cringing.

"Yeah probably. You scared the shit out of him I think. But enough about that. Let's go get you the rest of my miracle hangover remedy. I'm thinking the advil wasn't enough." He chuckled in agreement and they headed to the great hall with the twins. Mercy piled their plates with peanutbutter toast, yogurt with strawberries and granola, and a slice of bluberry buckle. It was the same thing she'd done every year since they'd discovered butterbeer and firewhiskey, and it had never failed them or their ailing hangovers.

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That's all for chapter 7. What did you think? Please R/R.

Preview of Chapter 8

"_What's he doing?" _

"_Why isn't she moving?"_

"_GET OUT OF MY BRAIN!" Mercy shouted. Everyone looked at her as she glared at Roger. He stared at her shocked and a little scared. "Just because I refused to help you shag one of my friends does not give you the right to see my thoughts and memories!" She jumped him and punched him in the face, breaking his nose._

"_If-you-tell-anyone-what-you-saw-I-WILL-KILL-YOU!"_


	8. Legilimens

Special Thanks to: Child of the Flowers, callmedaynuhh, and xXxCastielxXx for the reviews. This chapter is for you three!

If you want to see Chapter Images and story banners for this story check out the link in my profile.

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8. Legilimens

The weeks went by slowly and the days were getting colder. Oliver had apologized to Adam, and the boy had asked Mercy to the winter ball. She was ecstatic as she sat in the Common Room checking things off of her list. She hadn't done so yet and happily crossed off number seven (play a pick up football match) and now number five (attend the winter ball with a date). Oliver watched her carefully. He'd been doing this for a while and had to admit he was a little jealous that Nichol had asked her to the ball, not that he could argue it. If he had, Mercy would flip out on him and demand to know what he had against Adam and there was no way Oliver was going to say that there might possibly be a slight chance that he fancied her a bit. He still had trouble admitting that to himself. Instead, he asked Lindsey who was more than happy to attend the ball with him.

Mercy hadn't been upset when he told her about Lindsey. She just shrugged and gave him a smile, meaning that she didn't care who he went with. This angered Oliver more than he'd expected. He was hoping she'd be a little jealous, or at least give her opinion of Lindsey. Apparently she really didn't give a damn who he was taking to the ball. Fred and George were teasing him constantly and it was weird for Mercy not to join, though she had been their target the second Adam had asked her, so maybe she just didn't have the energy to tease him.

They were headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts when she finally said something about the ball. She was actually joking about how now that she had a date, the ball didn't seem like that big of a deal.

"Honestly, I don't even know why I put this on my list!" She chuckled. Oliver nodded, half listening as they walked into the classroom. He wasn't used to Mercy acting like a girly girl. He knew she'd been talking to Angelina about dresses, but that was only because Fred had told Oliver about it.

"Alright class, it's time to practice those non-verbal spells. Everyone partner up and one at a time _quietly_ work on your dueling. At the end of class I will take volunteers to duel in front of the class." Everyone's ears perked up and they quickly partnered off. Oliver and Mercy enjoyed sparring against each other and couldn't help but laugh when they knocked each other on their butts. Although Mercy had a harder time remembering not to speak the spell, she felt rather accomplished by the time Professor Lupin told them to stop fifteen minutes before class was over.

"So, who wants to duel?" He asked happily. Nearly everyone in the class raised their hand which made the professor chuckle. "Alright, how about Miss Gauge? You showed great improvement today." She thanked him and walked to the front of the class. "Who wants to take on Miss Gauge?"

"I will." Roger Davies stepped forward with a smirk. Mercy rolled her eyes as everyone took a step back to give them room. Girls were swooning over Davies while some of the boys were taking bets.

"Two sickles on Gauge."

"I'll take that. Davies will kill her."

"My money is on Mercy." Oliver whispered to Zacharias Smith who took his bet.

Mercy and Roger bowed to each other and the duel began. Roger began with the severing charm while Mercy tried to disarm him. Her shirt sleeve ripped but she barely noticed. Roger still had that infuriating smirk on his face. She used the furnunculus curse on him, causing boils to form all over his body. Oliver couldn't help but laugh as Roger removed the spell and just barely dodged the stunner that Mercy sent at him. He shot a bat-bogey hex at her which she repelled easily.

"Oh come on Mercy! You're not even trying!"

"That's because I don't want to kill you Davies." She teased.

"I bet you can't hurt me."

"Now we're not trying to hurt each other, just disarm or stun." Lupin said trying to intervene. Roger set a jelly legs curse at Mercy and she fell to the ground.

"You asked for it Davies." She pointed her wand at him and fire emitted from the tip. Everyone backed up in shock. Roger deflected the shot towards the wall and pointed his wand at her again. Mercy's eyes went wide and the room was silent.

"What's he doing?"

"Why isn't she moving?"

"GET OUT OF MY BRAIN!" Mercy shouted. Everyone looked at her as she glared at Roger. He stared at her shocked and a little scared. "Just because I refused to help you shag one of my friends does _not_ give you the right to see my thoughts and memories!" She jumped him and punched him in the face, breaking his nose.

"If-you-tell-anyone-what-you-saw-I-WILL-KILL-YOU!" She yelled, her arms flailing against his face and chest. Professor Lupin levitated her off of Roger and Oliver grabbed her torso to keep her from jumping him again. Lupin healed Roger and excused the class, telling Mercy and Roger to stay after. Oliver gave her a one-armed hug before waiting outside the classroom.

"Mercy I'm sorry." Roger said looking at the floor. "It was just the first spell that popped into my head. I didn't think you had anything-"

"Yeah well I do!" She snapped, crossing her arms.

"Miss Gauge. Apologize to Mr. Davies."

"WHAT?" She looked at her professor. "I'm getting in trouble because he delved into my personal memories?"

"It's not his fault you did not tell your peers. It is also not his fault that you do not know how to counter the legilimens spell."

"I didn't know I could actually do it Mercy. I'm really sorry!" Mercy sighed.

"Sorry I busted your face Davies." She muttered earning a small smile from her professor.

"You two are free to go. Mercedes, you will serve a night's detention with me tonight for your actions." She bowed her head and nodded. "Meet me here after dinner. You are both excused." The two began walking out and Oliver stood when they exited. He put his arm around her and began leading her towards the Great Hall for lunch.

"Remember Davies, you tell anyone and I'll kill you!" She warned as they walked away. Oliver could tell that Mercy was still furious at Davies and it made him wonder what the Ravenclaw had seen. She was muttering things under her breath and stopped when she realized Oliver was staring at her expectantly.

"What?"

"What did Davies see?"

"Don't worry about it Oliver." She tried to keep walking but he stopped her.

"What. Did Davies. See?" He repeated, putting emphasis on each word. His eyes were serious and silently wondering what Davies might have found out about his friend that he didn't already know. "Mercy?"

"He saw some personal stuff alright? My first shag and whatnot. I don't want that type of thing getting around okay?" Oliver nodded and allowed Mercy to keep walking before something clicked.

"Hang on! Who've you shagged?" He called running after her. Oliver chased Mercy into the Great Hall where she was sitting with the twins. They all looked up at Oliver expectantly, though Mercy cracked a smile when she realized why he looked so freaked out. When Oliver repeated the question the twins turned to Mercy waiting for an answer. She tried to ignore them, knowing that they were just being nosy jerks.

After a painfully long lunch which Mercy blamed on the boys trying to find out about her personal life, she headed to Care of Magical Creatures with a rather persistent Oliver. He questioned, whined, and even poked Mercy trying to get her to reveal her secret. It was weird for him to not know something about Mercy, and he was upset that he had not known that she wasn't as innocent as he'd thought. Hagrid had them all feeding the thestrals and cleaning the area that they lived in, so Oliver didn't get too much time to annoy Mercy. She was just glad that she was able to get work done without being bothered. As it was, the twins were sending paper airplanes from whatever classroom they were in that repeatedly scolded her for not telling them about her experience and told her that they were going to kill the guy who she'd been with. With each and every letter, she merely turned the paper to ash with a simple flick of her wand.

Mercy was able to avoid answering their questions until later that night after her detention when she was sitting in the common room by herself working on a transfiguration essay. Oliver took her work away from her and waited patiently for her to explain herself. Whenever she tried to take her parchment back, Oliver pulled it out of reach.

"Oliver, give me back my homework." She growled, jumping for her parchment.

"I think not! You have yet to answer my question."

"And that would be?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"And you know it's none of your business." She retorted as Oliver held her homework higher in the air.

"You know who I've shagged. It's only fair."

"I didn't force it. You willingly gave up the information." Mercy told him, remembering the day in their fifth year when Oliver walked into the Common Room one night after hours and plopped himself down on the couch next to Mercy who was busy with a potion's essay while helping the twins with their latest prank idea. He had a goofy grin on his face and she'd asked him if he was feeling okay and he immediately spit out what had happened. She hadn't been happy about it, especially because she knew that the girl he'd been seeing wasn't good for him, but she did her best to give a neutral reaction.

"Oh come on Mercy! Who was it and when did it happen? You haven't dated anyone all year."

"Who says it happened this year?" Oliver's jaw dropped.

"When?"

"Last year. Christmas break."

"But you visit me during break."

"But I spend Christmas with my family and friends."

"Who?" Oliver felt his blood boil. He knew the "friends" she was implying and Oliver knew that they weren't guys he wanted Mercy having a physical relationship with.

"None of your business."

"Mercy."

"Oliver."

"Which one?"

"Why? Are you jealous?" She teased with a smirk. He was going to figure it out anyway so she might as well have a little fun with it.

"What? No! I just know those guys and-"

"And what? He was a perfect gentleman; even asked me if I was sure I wanted to do it." She assured him.

"It was Ryan wasn't it?" He stated, knowing that out of everyone Ryan was the closest to Mercy and would have probably been the one to treat her right. That still didn't mean that Oliver was happy about it. The first time Oliver and Ryan had met, Ryan had been protective of Mercy and said that Oliver had better take care of her or he'd beat the crap out of him. Obviously Mercy had a word with Ryan and assured him that she could take care of herself. That didn't stop Ryan from glaring at Oliver for the rest of his time with Mercy's family. Ryan was one of Nathaniel and Derrick's friends and he'd sort of adopted Mercy as a sister, though now that Oliver knew what he and Mercy had done, he knew that Ryan had been jealous of Oliver. After all, Ryan didn't know Mercy was a witch and Oliver got to see Mercy nearly every day leaving Ryan wondering where she was and who she was with.

"And what if it was Ryan? He's a good bloke."

"Are you still seeing him?"

"We were never 'seeing' each other."

"But you shagged him?"

"Yes."

"You shagged a guy you had no relationship with? You shagged your brothers' friend?"

"Hey now! Ryan is my friend too! We just sort of gave it a shot and…well…it was awkward after. We agreed not to make a big deal out of it."

"So you regret it?" Mercy shrugged.

"Meh. I don't really regret anything in my life. You only live once, right? Why worry about stupid things like sex?"

"So you have no issues with the fact that you had a one night stand with your friend?"

"Nah. We joke about it now and we still flirt like always. We just know the chemistry isn't there." She told him. "So are you happy now? You know my dirty little secret."

"I just don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Usually girls are worried about, you know…their first time. You're acting like it was a walk in the park."

"It's really not that big of a deal when you think about it. A shag is a shag. I'm glad I got the first one over with with someone I know and trust. It's better than going at it with a guy I really fancy and making a total idiot out of myself. Ryan isn't going to make fun of me for not doing stuff right. I mean how clumsy was your first time?"

"A little, I guess."

"And were you embarrassed?"

"A little."

"Then you prove my point. There was no embarrassment with Ryan. I now know what I'm doing and Ryan didn't judge me." Oliver sat back down on the couch and gave Mercy her homework back. She was treating this like nothing. There was logic in what she was saying, he guessed, but isn't the first time supposed to be special? That's what everyone says. She'd even said it when he'd told her about his first time. Maybe she didn't expect that for herself.

"Hey Oliver…you're not weirded out are you? I didn't want you to know because I figured you'd want to kill Ryan or something. Personally, I'd like to see a match between you two. Two fit guys going at it over little old me is a major turn on." She teased, turning back to her essay. Oliver's head snapped up. Had she just called him fit?

* * *

As usual, please R/R and here's the preview for Chapter nine

_Title: Following the Cookie Trail_

_ Adam joined Mercy and Oliver on their walk to Herbology. Outside the greenhouse was another floating cookie with a note, which had everyone in the class questioning who it was for. Adam attempted to grab the cookie but pulled his hand back the second he touched it._

_ "What's the matter Nichol? Afraid of a floating cookie?" Oliver teased, grabbing the treat and shoving it in his mouth before looking at the note._

_ "It shocked me!" Adam argued, glaring at Oliver when Mercy laughed._

_ "Cookie Number Three will give you a clue, it is something you've wanted since you were in year two."_


	9. Following the Cookie Trail

Special Thanks to: SecretlyAGryffindor, Fallenarchangel, Georgia, annnH, callmedaynuhh, and xXxCastielxXx for the reviews. And thanks to everyone who read and made it a favorite story/alert. This chapter is dedicated to ALL OF YOU because I kept you waiting so long. :-D

I do apologize for not updating. School was brutal this past semester and I'm going to do my best to post more regularly this semester.

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Following the Cookie Trail

It was November thirtieth and Oliver's birthday. His wake up was nothing like he'd expected seeing as neither the twins, nor Mercy was there at his bedside to wake him and his roommates at the crack of dawn (or three in the morning if the twins managed to wake Mercy up) with a wet-start firework in the dormitory. There wasn't the charge up the stairs to pour a bucket of ice-cold water on him, nor was there the ridiculous song and dance they did on everyone's birthday that he'd grown awkwardly fond of. Instead, at his bedside was a single peanut butter cookie and a note.

_Follow the cookies and you will find,_

_A lovely present that blows your mind._

_Yours truly,_

_Us_

Oliver chuckled and ate the melt in your mouth peanut butter cookie. Yes, he was worried about what his friends had gotten him. The fact that the note said their gift will blow his mind made him think it was a firework or some sort of bomb. He wouldn't put it past them. With a stretch, Oliver moved to the bathroom to shower and get ready for class, secretly wondering when he'd get his next cookie. They were just that good.

Upon entering the Common Room he was greeted by the twins and Mercy who wished him a happy birthday. When Oliver asked them about the cookie and riddle, they shrugged, though all three had a mischievous glint in their eyes. The twins took Oliver by the arms and lead him to the Great Hall where all four sat down for a scrumptious breakfast of pancakes, bacon, sausage, and pumpkin juice. Fred began asking what everyone was doing for the holidays because he and George were staying. As per usual, Oliver and Mercy were going home with the plan that Mercy would go to Oliver's for New Years Eve until the start of the next term. This caused the twins to sigh dramatically and wonder what in the world they would do without their two friends. Mercy suggested that they convince Peeves to send Snape a basket full of shampoo and conditioner.

Soon, Mercy and Oliver were on their way to Charms class where, sitting atop Oliver's desk was another cookie and note. Mercy quirked an eyebrow in his direction and muttered something about eating strange cookies as Oliver scarfed the cookie down. He didn't get to respond to Mercy, nor read the note because Professor Flitwick began talking to them about protection charms similar to those surrounding Hogwarts. Mercy was busy trying to keep up with what the professor was saying, while Oliver fiddled the piece of parchment that had been sitting with his cookie. Slowly, he turned it over and chuckled at the familiar handwriting.

_You have found Cookie #2_

_It does not have the present waiting for you._

It was hard not to elbow Mercy and tease her about the pathetic rhyming clues. He could tell that neither she, nor the twins wanted to admit to their involvement with this little scavenger hunt they were leading him on. Instead, Oliver turned his attention back to the lesson and actually found himself quite intrigued by the security charms. He knew that one day he would put some form of charm around his home, it was just a question of how strong he wanted it to be.

"Professor, is it possible to only have the spell trigger if someone unwanted enters your home?" Mercy asked. Oliver was shocked. It was rare for Mercy to speak in Charms class, never mind asking an intelligent question.

"Excellent question Miss Gauge. It is possible to set more sensitive enchantments that will allow blood relatives through the boundary, though I find them to be quite useless with unwanted family members. There is a lot of research going into new ways to perfect the spell so that non blood relatives can enter the vicinity without tripping the alarm, though none have been very effective." He answered. "Five points to Gryffindor." Mercy smiled and Oliver nudged her in approval causing her to blush. It was the first time Oliver had noticed the tinge in his friend's cheeks and, if he was being honest with himself, the look was quite attractive on her.

Suddenly a piece of paper landed on Mercy's desk and she read it with a smile. She turned and stuck her tongue out at someone. When Oliver followed her gaze it lead straight to Adam Nichol who was blatantly flirting with her. She smiled and gave him a rather inappropriate hand gesture before turning her attention back to the professor, but not before giving Oliver an embarrassed smile. Although Oliver felt himself getting a little jealous, he shrugged and ruffled her hair, letting her know that he didn't care.

When class ended, Adam joined Mercy and Oliver on their walk to Herbology. Outside the greenhouse was another floating cookie with a note, which had everyone in the class questioning who it was for. Adam attempted to grab the cookie but pulled his hand back the second he touched it.

"What's the matter Nichol? Afraid of a floating cookie?" Oliver teased, grabbing the treat and shoving it in his mouth before looking at the note.

"It shocked me!" Adam argued, glaring at Oliver when Mercy laughed.

"Cookie Number Three will give you a clue, it is something you've wanted since you were in year two." Oliver looked up and quirked an eyebrow at Mercy. "Honestly Mercy, you guys are terrible with the rhyming. Why can't you just tell me what you got me?"

"Really Oliver? I'm the one telling you NOT to eat strange floating cookies that shock people. What makes you think I'm involved in this?" She teased.

"Because all these clues are in your handwriting. I'm assuming the twins did everything else. You're rubbish at charms."

"Hey! I made the damn cookies!" She argued.

"And they're lovely." Oliver kissed her forehead. "You can now cross making my cookies off your list." She smiled and they walked into Herbology where Adam seemed to glare at Oliver throughout the entire class. Mercy didn't seem to notice as she helped Oliver trim their tentacula plant, but Oliver could feel Adam's gaze and felt a little better knowing that Mercy was paying more attention to him than the Ravenclaw.

By dinner time, Oliver had eaten five more cookies and laughed at each one of the notes that came along with them. His friends weren't budging on what they got him and he was starting to worry since one of the clues was that it would be something he'd never suspect. This made him think that it might be alcohol, or maybe a blind date, or worse…one of Fred and George's inventions. He'd gotten a few of those over the years and each time he feared for his life.

It was getting later in the day and another cookie was waiting for Oliver in the Gryffindor Common Room after dinner. Since it was getting dark, Oliver could only assume that he was nearing the end of his cookie-journey. Mercy and the twins had mysteriously disappeared after they'd left the Great Hall and Oliver was expecting them to jump out at any second and bombard him with confetti like they had the year before.

_It's getting dark, it's getting late_

_So meet us on the Pitch at eight_

Oliver looked up at the clock and saw that it was seven-thirty. This gave him enough time to put his book bag in his dormitory and put on a jumper before heading down to the quidditch pitch. He was starting to wonder if they'd done something to the pitch that would inhibit the team from practicing the following morning. He swore he'd have the twins running laps until they puked if they blew up the goal posts like they did their first year on the team. When it was ten to eight, Oliver made his way down to the pitch and was surprised to find it completely lit up and all his friends standing around a table that had a few presents on it.

"SURPRISE!" They shouted. Fred and George set off a few fireworks, Katie and Angelina blew noise makers and Lee and Alicia threw confetti. Mercy gave out an ear-splitting whistle before raising her wand and peanutbutter cookies began falling from the sky all around Oliver and they hovered at his waist before floating over to a tray where they became inanimate. Fred and George then grabbed Mercy and they began doing a crazy looking ring around the rosie around Oliver, singing Happy Birthday and doing a terrible Irish jig.

"Ready for your presents?" Alicia asked excitedly. Oliver nodded and they all pushed him towards the table. His first present was a photo album from his three Chasers who were photo freaks and made every moment a Kodak moment whether everyone else liked it or not.

"We think you'll be surprised at some of the stuff we got on camera." Angelina teased. Next was the latest Quidditch book on keeper moves from Lee, then a new broom cleaning kit from Oliver's roommates. Finally, there was a large box that had a picture of Mercy, Fred, George and Oliver on it, letting Oliver know that it was from his three best mates. The picture had them waving frantically and the twins giving Oliver a noogie before Mercy put them both in a headlock and threw them out of the way before fixing Oliver's hair and jumping on his back, wrestling him to the ground. All four of them were laughing and care-free.

Oliver unwrapped the present and his jaw dropped. His eyes slid over the sleek wood handle leading down to the well trimmed twigs. Although the handle said Nimbus 2001, Oliver was having a hard time believing that what was in front of him was real.

"We figured a professional Quidditch player like yourself deserved a decent broom." Fred teased.

"It's no Firebolt, but it's the best we could afford." George said sheepishly.

"He's a Keeper, he doesn't need the fastest broom on the planet. Leave the Firebolt to Potter." Mercy added, patting Oliver on the back. "Happy Birthday Wood. Oliver?" She waved her hand in front of his face. He didn't blink. "Oliver…are you alright?"

"His eyes are looking a little wonkey." George observed.

"I think he's in shock." Fred supplied putting his arms over George and Mercy's shoulders. Oliver shook his head turned to his friends and hugged them all at once.

"This is the best birthday present ever!" He exclaimed. "You three are the best!"

"Thanks."  
"We try."

"Finally, some appreciation." Everyone laughed and Angelina conjured up some snacks and cocoa and they all started chatting away. Lee suggested that Oliver take his broom out for a spin, which he readily agreed to. Whoever had a broom mounted and everyone began racing around the pitch merrily. Fred opted to stay on the ground with Mercy who was busy sipping her hot cocoa. Oliver had tried to convince her to take his old Comet 260 out for a spin, saying that she could cross that off her list, but the twins shot down the idea immediately. Mercy shrugged and said she wasn't ready for that just yet and insisted that Oliver try out his new broom.

When Oliver kicked off, he immediately let the stress of classes melt away and sighed in content. He couldn't believe that his friends had gone and done this for him. Since he wanted to become a professional Quidditch player, he knew he would have to buy a new broom, but Oliver had been expecting to do that with any money he received upon graduating from Hogwarts, or if he was drafted to a professional team. Now it was one less thing for him to worry about. They all flew around for a while tossing the quaffle back and forth and challenging each other to races but soon had to return to the castle out of fear of losing house points for being out past curfew. Oliver slung his arm over Mercy's shoulders as he carried his birthday present and Mercy carried his tray of cookies back to the dormitory. Mercy was ecstatic that Oliver liked his present. She and the twins had been planning this since the summer and with some luck they'd managed to pool their money and buy Oliver a decent broom.

The two sat in the Common Room for a while chatting about classes and how everyone had managed to keep the party a secret for so long. Mercy attributed it to the fact that Oliver was oblivious to everything during Quidditch season which he tried to argue, but found that he couldn't. She was right, Quidditch always came first with him and Oliver was always amazed at how that had never bothered her. Mercy did her best to come to all of his games and supported him in everything he did, Quidditch related or not.

"Hey Mercy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Being you."

"It's kind of hard for me not to be. I mean it is in my DNA." She teased, giving Oliver a playful nudge.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. I mean I am just completely amazing. Who wouldn't love me?" She gave Oliver her trademark smirk.

"Touché my dear. Now hand over those cookies." Mercy tried to move the tray out of Oliver's reach and he lunged across the couch, knocking Mercy and the cookies to the floor.

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Hope you liked it! Please R/R.

Here's the preview for Chapter 10:

"_You're just jealous because Fred loves me most."_

"_I'll make sure the other blokes at the party don't laugh too hard at your Mum's sewing skills."_

"_I can't help it…I'm spoiled."_

"_Relax Oliver. I'll be out in a few hours. I'll make it to the match tomorrow."_

"_You're my best mate. Massages are strictly off-limits to best mates."_


	10. The Ugly Stick

Special Thanks to everyone that read chapter 9.

Chapter 10 is dedicated to xXxCastielxXx because she was the only one to review and is officially AWESOME lol.

Enjoy!

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The Ugly Stick

The next morning Mercy sat in the Great Hall listening to Fred and George complain about the early morning Quidditch practice. Apparently, even though Oliver was ecstatic about his birthday present, it didn't mean that he was going to go any easier on his team. Oliver sat with a slight smile on his face as the twins recanted the number of drills he'd put them through. Mercy was hanging on their every word and laughed when Fred tried to re-enact how he'd almost fallen off his broom by leaning back on the bench and waving his arms dramatically. She looked over at Oliver and winked before pushing Fred to the floor. Unfortunately Fred's cat-like reflexes kicked in and he pulled her down with him. The two fell to the floor laughing as their legs stuck in the air in ridiculous positions.

"Alright there Mercy?" A deep voice asked. Everyone's eyes looked up to Adam standing over the fallen pair. Mercy wrapped her arms around Fred and hugged him, nuzzling into his chest.

"You're just jealous because Fred loves me most." She said with a shy smile. Fred chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't know love, there might be someone whose feelings surpass my own." His eyes darted to Oliver, Adam noticed, but Mercy didn't.

"Who? George?" She asked innocently.

"Of course!" George flopped onto the ground next to them and hugged Mercy's other side. She rolled her eyes but did not move the two redheads. Oliver flung a piece of bacon at them. Fred ate it with his free hand. Professor McGonagall came around and handed everyone a piece of parchment. They huddled together and read them.

_Dear Students,_

_ We regret to inform you that the Winter Ball will be cancelled in order to heighten security at Hogwarts. Although there will be no Ball, there will be an extra Hogsmeade weekend. We hope that you will have a wonderful holiday and we will see you after the break._

_ Hogwarts Staff_

Everyone's faces dropped. Oliver looked at Mercy for some form of reaction. He knew she'd been looking forward to actually having a date for once. She caught his gaze and shrugged. Adam whispered something in her ear and she smiled and nodded her head. He kissed her on the cheek and walked away, waving to the guys. It seemed everyone but Oliver understood what had happened and he desperately wanted to know what was going on, but didn't ask out of fear of everyone chuckling at him. He would find out eventually. Mercy busied herself with eggs and pumpkin juice, trying to ignore the twins who were making kissy-faces at her.

Eventually they left the Great Hall and headed towards the dungeons for potions class. Oliver put his arm over her shoulder like he always did and she leaned into him a little. They sat listening to Snape's instructions and when it came to start their potions Mercy did not move. Her mind was elsewhere, drifting through her life, wondering if there had been a chance she'd missed where she could have just slipped it in. When they first met? No. After Quidditch? No. In class? Not a chance. She felt someone poke her in the side and snapped out of her trance. Oliver was looking at her expectantly and she shook the thoughts out of her head. He would find out sooner or later, and hopefully it wouldn't be at an inappropriate time. She turned to the potion they were supposed to be working on.

"Alright, so you do not, I repeat do NOT attempt to cut these, they just jump like crazy. Smush them with the blade. Understand?" She eyed Oliver worriedly. He nodded and attempted to do as instructed. By the end of the period they had acquired a fairly decent potion to which Snape reluctantly gave them an O. Mercy did a small happy dance which reminded Oliver more of a spasm than anything. It had taken a while, but she finally got the O she had been working so hard for. They cleaned up their table and left the dungeons, welcoming the fresh air. Someone in class had done something completely wrong and made the entire room smell of dragon dung. Needless to say, Snape was upset and deducted ten points from Gryffindor even though Mercy was fairly certain it was a Slytherin duo. They had a free period after that and decided to head outside since it was still nice and snow had not fallen just yet. Mercy ran to the lake and climbed the willow tree. Oliver followed obediently and stared at her as she lay down on one of the branches, her long brown hair cascading towards the ground. Most girls would think it was too cold outside, or wouldn't want to get dirt and leaves in their hair, but not Mercy. Even when Oliver was shivering, she lay among the branches as though it were a beautiful spring day.

"Mercy"

"Hmm?" Her eyes were closed and she looked extremely calm.

"Do you want to do something different for New Years this year?"

"Such as?"

"My parents were thinking of making the party this year a bit more…formal. Of course Dad said that we can go off and do our own thing, but Mum looked a bit crushed at the idea. You know how she fawns over you."

"That's just because you turned out to be an Oliver instead of an Olivia." Mercy teased, eyes still closed. She never missed a beat. "I guess I wouldn't mind. That just means I have an excuse to wear the dress Mum was making me for the Ball. She'll be happy I'll get use out of it." Mercy jumped out of the tree and sat next to Oliver. "Did you know that she was actually upset that I was going with Adam. Apparently she had some other guy in mind, but wouldn't tell me who. You're a favorite of hers so I figure she'll be glad you're the one I'll be with."

"Well, I am hard to top." Oliver teased, putting his arm around her. "I'll make sure the other blokes at the party don't laugh too hard at your Mum's sewing skills." Mercy hit him in the arm.

"Oye! Mum can sew better than your mum!"

"We'll just have to see about that won't we love?"

"What's the bet?"

"If I'm not impressed by the dress your mum made…you have to kiss cousin Craig under the mistletoe." Mercy's jaw dropped.

"Oh you are so on! If you lose, which you will because you are a jealous git and can't get enough of my gorgeous legs," she lifted her legs for emphasis, "_you_ have to kiss that bird whose father works for the ministry…the one who works with Mr. Weasley."

"That's just cruel Mercy. At least Craig fancies you and I can hex him after. Katherine was hit by the ugly stick too many times. She has more issues than I care to remember!"  
"Oliver William Wood! How dare you say that about her. She's a lovely girl and she and I talked for hours last year. You need to get past your eyes and start seeing people for their personality and their downfalls."

"I can't help it…I'm spoiled."

"You're right, you are and I won't allow it any longer." She stood up, grabbed her bag and walked towards Care of Magical Creatures. Oliver suddenly felt colder than he remembered being when she was sitting next to him. He ran to catch up to her but she was nowhere in sight. All throughout class, Oliver couldn't find her and he wondered if she had decided to skip without his knowledge. She couldn't have seriously been offended by his comment about Katherine Perkins. Sure, Oliver had never thought about it before, but he had never dated or kissed a woman he didn't find attractive. That couldn't be a problem for Mercy.

Up in the Gryffindor Common Room, Mercy paced back and forth. She didn't know why, but Oliver's comment had been hurtful. Alright, so she knew why, but it didn't make up for the fact that it wasn't his fault. He'd never had to deal with the ugly side of life and for that, Mercy was sort of grateful. Her family had seen too much of it and she was doing her best to give them some time off. Getting angry at Oliver wasn't the way to go. Besides, he'd made comments about girls like that before. Mercy sat down on the couch and tried to rationalize her reaction. Surely Oliver noticed her absence from class. The portrait door opened and Mercy jumped, but it was just the twins. They sat down next to her exhausted from a day of pranking and not paying attention in class. She rested her head on Fred's shoulder. She didn't understand why, but the twins always calmed her down.

"Yikes!" Fred jerked away from her. "You're burning up!" George looked at Mercy expectantly, waiting for an explanation. She didn't have one. Her face dropped and she looked down at her clothes. She hadn't brought a jacket when she went outside with Oliver. Immediately she ran out of the portrait hole and towards the Hospital Wing, the twins trailing her.

"Mercy! You shouldn't be running you twit!" Fred shouted. She instantly slowed down, panting. They caught up to her and together they walked towards the Hospital Wing. Little did they know that Oliver had seen them go and began following them. He heard Fred scolding Mercy and upon entering the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey did the same.

"Honestly Miss Gauge. You are going to kill yourself one of these days with that memory of yours." Mercy hung her head. Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone enter the wing. She looked up and saw Oliver and gave him a weak smile.

"It's just a fever Wood. No worries here."

"I should say not-" George gave Madam Pomfrey a look and she cleared her throat. "A fever is nothing to shrug off Miss Gauge. Especially for someone who is as accident prone as yourself."

"Next time I'll remember my jacket. I promise." Madam Pomfrey shook her head in annoyance and gave her a tonic for the fever and checked Mercy's eyes and mouth while she waited for the medicine to take effect. Fred and George shifted their feet and gave Oliver apologetic looks. Oliver just hoped she would be able to make it to the next Quidditch match.

"Relax Oliver. I'll be out in a few hours. I'll make it to the match tomorrow." Mercy teased, reading his mind. He smiled and put an arm around her, ruffling her hair.

"That's my Mercy." He chuckled.

"Yes well your Mercy better start taking better care of herself. If she caught pneumonia she would be in big trouble." Madam Pomfrey warned before ordering the boys out and Mercy to rest for an hour or so. She promised to meet them at dinner.

Oliver and the twins went off to Quidditch practice though the latter seemed to be more preoccupied with something else. They were constantly whispering things to each other and looking towards the castle. Oliver constantly had to reprimand them for not paying attention to the Bludgers, which were coming close to getting out of control. Oliver was impressed with his team this year. If they played their cards right and were careful about the score before Potter caught the snitch, they could win the cup for sure. The girls could easily go pro with the moves they performed during practice. Oliver made a mental note to call a few scouts for them. He then made another to remember to start thinking about who would take over after he graduated. The twins were out, Potter was too young. Katie wasn't the most organized, so it was between Alicia and Angelina. Either one of them would make wonderful captains. Maybe he should make tests.

"Oye Wood!" Angelina shouted, "We done here?" He looked at his watch and realized he'd kept them over their allotted time. With a quick whistle, everyone landed and Oliver told them what they needed to know for the game tomorrow before releasing them to the showers. After they were clean and dry, Oliver and the twins walked to the Great Hall and saw Mercy sitting in her usual spot. Oliver thought she still looked a little pale, but didn't question, especially since she had to be in good health if Madam Pomfrey let her go. The twins sat to her left and Oliver to her right. The girls sat across them. Angelina raised an eyebrow when Fred put his arm around Mercy and whispered something in hear ear. She rolled her eyes and nodded her head before filling her plate with mashed potatoes.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow? Wake up at the crack of dawn, massage the entire team with cocoa butter while listening to the sounds of the ocean and meditation?" Mercy asked. The girls giggled and Oliver grinned.

"What a wonderful idea Mercy. Thanks for offering up your massage services." Mercy's face dropped.

"I was joking Oliver."

"I'm not."

"I'm not massaging the whole team. It's statutory rape if I do it to Potter, and it would be quite awkward for the girls. Nevermind these two" she nodded to Fred and George "who would make it into a joke about getting felt up by an older woman."

"What about me?" Oliver teased.

"You're my best mate. Massages are strictly off-limits to best mates."

"We would not make jokes!" George argued.

"Well I would." Fred shrugged, earning a slap from Mercy. "What? I can't help it if the idea of you rubb-"

"Shut it Weasley before I make you incapable of playing tomorrow." Mercy warned. Fred went back to his pork chop. Oliver laughed. It was just too easy for Mercy to get Fred to do what she wanted.

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Hope you liked it. Please R/R!

Here's the preview for Chapter 11:

"_She has a date."_

"_I expected that from Wood, not Weasley."_

"_The day I'm flirting with Oliver is the day I commit myself to St. Mungos."_

"_Mercy, I was wondering if-"_


	11. Smooth Moves

Special Thanks to: everyone who read chapter 10.

This chapter is dedicated to xXxCastielxXx for the only review again!

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Smooth Moves

It was Hogsmeade weekend and Mercy was woken up by Katie, Alicia and Angelina. She'd forgotten that she'd asked for their help. For the first time in her Hogwarts career, Mercy had a date. In a completely uncharacteristic way, Mercy hadn't told Oliver about the date. She didn't think he would understand. Fred and George had figured it out on their own and promised to try to keep Oliver calm when he realized what was going on. The girls helped Mercy pick her outfit: a pair of dark blue jeans and a dark purple cowl-neck sweater. Her hair was down in its usual wavy fashion and she wore a pair of knee-high boots that Angelina was letting her borrow. As she walked down to the Common Room with the girls, she noticed the boys waiting for them as per usual. She waved and began walking towards the portrait hole. Oliver grabbed her arm to stop her. Gryffindor had won the Quidditch match the day before and he figured they would celebrate together by going to Honeydukes and getting fudge and chocoballs like they always did.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"She has a date." Katie giggled.

"With whom?" Oliver asked. He couldn't believe Mercy hadn't told him she had a date.

"Adam." Mercy replied, trying to stay as calm as possible and gauge his reaction. She noticed him tense up just the slightest bit. He took a deep breath.

"Alright, have fun. If you guys want to meet up with us, you know where we'll be." He patted her on the back and pushed her out the door. Fred and George's jaws dropped. They thought for sure that Oliver would have some snappy remark about Adam, but he just grabbed his coat and walked with everyone to the carriages as though nothing was wrong.

Mercy met Adam in the entryway to the castle and together they got in a carriage and headed to Hogsmeade chatting idly about football and classes. She waved to her friends as they got off their carriage and they returned the gesture. Fred gave Adam the "I'm watching you" hand motion as well which made Mercy laugh and shake her head. Adam put his arm around her waist and guided her towards Honeydukes.

"I expected that from Wood, not Weasley." Adam admitted. She just shrugged and began looking around at all the candy. As per usual, Mercy walked away with a bag of Choco Balls, which Adam insisted on paying for. Adam was a little taken aback when Mercy began bargaining with Mr. Flume for the recipe for the treats. It was easy to see that Mr. Flume was not going to give up, so Adam didn't understand why Mercy was still arguing with the owner. Eventually, Adam got Mercy to leave, though she promised she would be back. He led her over to the Three Broomsticks for some lunch. Mercy's stomach grumbled as though it had been thinking the same thing. They ordered a pair of Butterbeers, a plate of hot wings for Mercy and a steak sandwich for Adam.

Oliver, the twins and the girls were sitting in a booth at the Three Broomsticks when Mercy and Adam entered. Even though the couple did not see them, the others definitely noticed the two enter. Alicia and Katie giggled while Angelina looked at Oliver to see his reaction. Although the other two girls were apparently oblivious, Angelina knew that Oliver had feelings for Mercy, probably before he did. She'd noticed it around Oliver's fourth year when guys would ask Mercy out and he would just 'happen' to look relieved when she turned them down, or how he always made sure to include her in _everything_ that he did around Hogwarts; including Quidditch. When Mercy entered with Adam, Oliver tensed a little, but was trying not to let it bother him. He was keenly aware of Adam's subtle flirting, and Mercy's response. She looked amused at the least. Adam pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Mercy, causing an uncharacteristically loud squeal escape from her mouth.

Mercy held in her hand an autographed photo of the Blackpool Keeper. She hugged Adam furiously and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked rather proud of himself, but assured her that he only got it because his little brother insisted upon it and then decided he didn't want it because it wasn't a Totenham player. Mercy put it in her purse, the smile never leaving her face. They talked for some time more before Angelina suggested that their table leave the pub and head to Honeydukes. Fred and George agreed and they all began to make their way outside, but Oliver made a detour to the couple.

"Hey guys." He said with a friendly smile. Mercy looked up and returned the gesture while Adam nodded in his direction.

"What's up Oliver?"

"We're heading to Honeydukes and I figured I'd see if you two wanted to join us." Adam raised their candy bag.

"We already went. Mercy wouldn't leave the owner alone." Oliver chuckled and Mercy shrugged her shoulders.

"That's my Mercy. She won't give up until Mr. Flume gives up his secrets." Oliver told the other boy which caused Adam to frown. Mercy leaned towards Oliver with a smirk.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for chocolate, especially when it's free."

"That, among other things." Oliver replied with a smirk of his own. "You two enjoy your date, and I'll see you back in the Common Room, yeah?" Mercy nodded and Oliver returned to their friends, leaving Mercy with Adam who now looked more than uncomfortable.

"Something the matter?" Mercy asked, drinking her Butterbeer.

"Are you sure you and Wood don't have something going on?" She nearly choked on her drink.

"You're kidding me right? We just like to make fun of each other."

"Looked more like flirting to me." Mercy rolled her eyes, wiped her hands on her napkin and slid closer to Adam.

"The day I'm flirting with Oliver is the day I commit myself to St. Mungos. We're just best mates. Got it?" Adam nodded, paid the tab and they headed over to Zonkos for some fun. By the end of their trip, Adam was sure Mercy was into him and he'd learned a lot about her. He found out about her father's pub, and her protective older brothers and their friends. He loved the fact that she could spit out football stats like nobody's business, but she also had passion for her team. The moment he found out that she was planning on staying in the Muggle world after graduation is what sealed his feelings for her.

"If you don't mind, why don't you want to stay in the Wizarding world?" He asked on the carriage ride back. She smiled.

"The same reason I know you're not going to stay. It's too hard to lie about what you do for a living when it's not school. Unless my friends from here need me, I really don't plan to come back." She admitted. "Taking over the pub just makes everything easier. Besides, I always wanted to run the pub, even before I found out I was a witch. What do you plan to do? Go to the University maybe?"

Adam smiled, "Possibly, though I don't know how I'll explain my schooling. I was thinking of maybe becoming a sports writer. My writing skills are pretty good, so I think I can get a high school proficiency exam and then head to a University for it. Who knows, maybe I'll write an article on Blackpool someday." He teased.

"I'll be sure to tell you what you mess up." Mercy responded with a grin. They reached the castle and headed inside just as snow began to fall. Adam walked her to Gryffindor Tower where Mercy stood to face him before heading in.

"Adam I had a great time." She smiled, "I hope we can do it again sometime."

"I hope so too. Mercy, I was wondering if-"

"Adam, don't. Please." She sighed. "Please don't ask me what I think you're going to."

"Why not? You just said you had a great time."

"I did. I'm just not someone who does the whole relationship thing. Stuff tends to get too complicated for me." Adam frowned.

"But we're both leaving after this year. It's not like things would have to end after we graduated." He argued.

"Adam, please. I'm willing to date, but sometimes things just happen with me and I don't want to have a commitment. I don't expect you to be alright with this."

"What do you mean things just happen? You're not a werewolf are you?" She chuckled.

"No, I'm not a werewolf. I'm just not someone who does relationships." She kissed Adam on the cheek. "Let me know if you just want to date. No strings attached." Adam nodded and began walking back to his Common Room. Mercy sighed, said the password and prepared for some major grilling from her friends. Upon her entry though, Oliver was the only one there and she sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder.

"Have a good time love?" He asked, putting his arm around her. She nodded and reached into her Honeydukes bag, pulling out a block of peanutbutter and chocolate fudge, placing it on his lap.

"Bought it when Nichol wasn't looking. Didn't think you'd like the idea of a bloke buying you chocolate. Sorry I didn't tell you beforehand about the date." He kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry about it Mercy. You have every right to date whatever bloke you want." They sat for the rest of the night talking about what happened on their separate trips and Mercy was sad to find out that she missed out on Fred and George fighting over the last fizzing whizby, causing it to blow up during a tug of war match. They were too much.

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Hope you liked it. It was kind of a filler, but still. Please R/R!

Here's the preview for chapter 12:

"_I'm sorry, we don't allow wankers like you in here."_

"_I was just telling Mercy about the Quidditch scouts that are going to be at my family's New Year's party."_

"_You're going to be eating your words when you have to kiss Perkins."_

"_You need to be treated differently."_


	12. Baked Goods and Bay Leaves

Hey there. I apologize for the delay, I haven't had time to work on the story and I didn't want to send out something I wasn't alright with.

Thanks to: Nim-Silma, Adnama, AustralianGypsey, xXxCastielxXx, and AnGelFacE S2. I couldn't decide who to dedicate the chapter to…so it goes to all of you! Enjoy!

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12. Baked Goods and Bay Leaves

It was finally Christmas and Mercy and Oliver left Hogwarts in high spirits, mainly because Oliver was still floating after Gryffindor won their game against Ravenclaw. He was now devising how they could beat Slytherin and win the Cup. Math was not Oliver's strong point so Mercy knew it would take him a while to figure it out. She decided not to help and watch him squirm. As they stepped off the platform, she was shocked not to see Mr. and Mrs. Wood waiting for Oliver. He reminded her that since they could apparate, his parents didn't see the point in meeting him. Instead, he agreed to wait with Mercy for her parents on the other side of the Platform. Together they walked through the brick and instantly spotted Mercy's mother and Nate waiting for her near Platform 8. Lorraine looked relieved to see Mercy in one piece and Nate just waved them over. Lorraine hugged Oliver and asked the usual question of when he was going to be visiting them. Oliver always stayed with them from the 29th to the 30th because of the "long trip" to and from his home. Now that Oliver could apparate, he didn't have to travel by Floo and that saved everyone a lot of worry about whether or not a Muggle would see him step out of the fireplace.

"See you in a week." Mercy said giving him a hug. "Try not to kill Shawn while you're home." Oliver smiled at the reference to his older brother who was a reporter for The Daily Prophet. Shawn was a great guy and Oliver sometimes felt inferior due to the fact that Shawn had been Head Boy and was much better at academics. With one final wave, Oliver walked towards a small alleyway outside of the station and headed home. Mercy hugged her family and they got into Nate's car.

Upon her arrival home, Mercy was greeted with a rowdy cheer from the men at the bar. That's what she loved about the place. Living in the apartment above made it impossible for Mercy to sleep without some noise in the background, which is why she'd gotten professor Flitwick to charm her headphones during her second year so that they would work in the castle. As Nate lead her inside she was swarmed by more strong arms than she cared to admit she enjoyed. There was Alan, Mitch and Ryan. All of them had known her from childhood and they treated her like one of their own. This of course meant countless interrogations about her love life as well as her friends and grades and where in the world it was that she went to school. It was hard on them because they had to give any mail they wanted to send to her parents if they wanted it delivered. This in itself had lead to loads of questions which her father had somehow managed to deal with.

Alan was a high school math teacher, great with kids and was very close to asking his girlfriend to marry him. Mitch worked at a law firm so he didn't have time for a relationship, though he managed to find countless hours to spend at the pub. Ryan of course was the one she was closest with and he was a construction worker and was currently seeing some bird he'd met at a football match. Mercy tried to hide a slight twinge of jealousy upon hearing this news. Derrick helped her bring her stuff upstairs and he and their family began asking her about school. Her father was waiting for any news that she wouldn't want to take over the pub, that she'd found something else she wanted to do. Mercy knew that's what he wanted because he felt the pub was no place for his little girl, but she couldn't help it. She was in love with the place.

That night they decorated their Christmas tree and listened to Derrick's terrible rendition of carols. Ryan stayed over for a while as well. He watched Mercy chase her brothers around when they tried to eat the fresh cookies that were coming out of the oven. She of course, did the same to him when he grabbed a peanut butter cookie. Mercy just didn't understand how irresistible her baked goods were, well any food she made. She didn't even have to look at a recipe book.

Christmas Day was always a celebration at the pub. Early in the morning the Gauge family would wake to Lorraine making homemade waffles, bacon and hash browns. After eating they would open presents and then Mercy and their father would change and head down to the pub to start preparations for the party. Mercy was in charge of food and Rich made sure the bar was stocked and everything was set up properly. By two o'clock people were exchanging holiday greetings and indulging in some hor'dourves and cocktails. Dinner was served at six o'clock and afterwards dessert. Mercy loved Christmas because it gave her a chance to see everyone again. Going to Hogwarts was hard, especially when she had to lie to all of her friends from home. Her dad was a pro at this, her mother and brothers not so much. _At least after I graduate, the lies can stop._ She thought to herself.

Four days later, Mercy was helping her father out in the kitchen. Her mind was always clear when she was cooking and she knew she was making the right decision with her life. The faces on her customers were enough to prove her point. She walked out from the kitchen doors and was handing plates of fish and chips and hamburgers to her customers when she heard the door open.

"I'm looking for Mercy." The voice said. Mercy smiled knowing exactly who it was.

"I'm sorry, we don't allow wankers like you in here." She frowned at Ryan's voice.

"You're just upset because she spends her school days with me."

"No, I just don't know how well you and your friends are taking care of her." Mercy walked over to them, wiping her hands on a towel that was in her pocket.

"Both of you stop it. The boys treat me fine at school. Now stop acting like a twit." Mercy told Ryan, giving him a slight glare. She didn't understand why he and Oliver never got along. They had a ton in common. The boys stared each other down for a bit until Nate clapped Oliver on the back and welcomed him, giving a warning glance to Ryan. Mercy told her dad that she was taking off now and she led Oliver to the guest room upstairs. Once they were safely alone, Mercy hugged him and then began asking about the homework she hadn't started yet. Oliver chuckled and promised to let her copy what he had so far as long as he could look at her potions essay. He then informed her that there were going to be scouts from professional Quidditch teams at the New Years party (apparently his dad had pulled a few strings), so he had to be on his best behavior. Mercy promised that she would try her best to do the same. Oliver didn't trust her. She didn't blame him. There was a knock at the door and Mercy's dad entered the room.

"Hi Mr. Gauge!" Oliver exclaimed, shaking the man's hand. "I was just telling Mercy about the Quidditch scouts that are going to be at my family's New Year's party."

"Oliver, how many times do I have to tell you; don't call me Mr. Gauge. It makes me feel old." Richard chuckled. "Any idea which teams are going to be scouting you?"

"Not really. I'm thinking the Tornados, or Falcons. I think I'd die if Puddlemere scouts were there." Mercy rolled her eyes. For as long as she'd known Oliver, he'd wanted to play for Puddlemere.

"I think it'll be the Harpies." Mercy teased. Oliver stuck his tongue out at her. Had her father not been there, Mercy knew Oliver would have hit her with a pillow or something. Richard talked with Oliver for a while about the goings on in the Wizarding world before leaving the two alone again. Richard looked a little depressed when he left.

"He misses it." Oliver told her. "The wizarding world. He's been living a lie for too long."

"He doesn't have to lie to me or my family." Mercy argued. "He's just stressed because my brothers have been getting into a lot of rows recently. That and the pub's been crazy the past few weeks. The poor guy hasn't had time to sleep. He's getting too old for it." Oliver shrugged. He didn't want to bring up Mercy taking over the pub during break. Merlin knew Ryan would be in there in a second if he heard raised voices and Oliver didn't want to head back home with a black eye.

"Come on. Let's go get some food. It's nearly supper time." Mercy smiled and led Oliver out of the pub. Ryan watched as they left. Mercy took Oliver's hand and skipped down the streets, completely oblivious to the snow that was now falling. Oliver wasn't and made her stop so they could put their gloves on. After nearly five years of visits, Oliver knew exactly where Mercy was taking him. It was a small café a half mile from the pub and it was Mercy's favorite place to go (other than the pub of course). Since it was snowing they sat inside near the fireplace and ordered their usual. Mercy got a bowl of winter squash soup while Oliver ordered a bowl of Cullen skink (potato and haddock soup). They split a turkey and bacon sandwich with chipotle mayo. The reason Mercy liked this café so much was because not only did it have good food, but it was also right across the street from a fantastic bakery. She was ruled by her taste buds. As per usual, after Mercy paid the tab, they headed to said bakery and bought an assortment of goods intended for eating later that night.

Oliver enjoyed that they had their little rituals. He knew that the following morning, Mercy would be at the stove when he woke up, making cinnamon French toast that would be lightly dusted with powdered sugar and strawberries and a side of bacon. She would already have a box of homemade baked goods to bring to Oliver's house. Oliver's mom always insisted that Mercy didn't have to bring anything, but she never complained when Mercy showed up with pastries in hand. Would their traditions continue after they were done with school?

Mercy noticed Oliver was deep in thought and decided to break him out of his stupor by shoving snow down the back of his jacket. Since he was carrying their purchase from the bakery, he couldn't do anything to retaliate, but promised revenge when she least expected it. They joked and teased each other the rest of the way back to the pub which was packed with regulars who waved to Mercy. Some asked if she and Oliver were together which caused both Mercy and Oliver to gently deny the assumption. Nate waved from behind the bar and told them to go upstairs. He knew that Mercy was about to offer to tend bar for a bit, meaning that Oliver would chat with the Muggles and try to keep up with what was going on.

"So Mercy," Oliver began once they were settled in her bedroom with cups of cocoa and their bakery goodies, "when do I get to see the dress?" He wiggled his eyebrows as he bit into a cookie, causing powdered sugar to surround his lips. Mercy rolled her eyes and tossed him a napkin.

"On New Year's Eve." She responded, biting into a cream puff. "You're going to be eating your words when you have to kiss Perkins." They stayed up the rest of the night working on their homework and talking about the party. Lorraine came in at some point to replenish the cocoa and bid them goodnight.

The following morning Mercy was at the stove as Oliver had anticipated and she handed him his food, which he happily ate. He honestly didn't know what he would do without her sometimes. His mother couldn't cook very well, and Mercy's kitchen was a breath of fresh air compared to his kitchen. After breakfast, Mercy began packing up all of her school things as well as whatever she would need for the party. Oliver sat on her bed munching on the leftovers from the bakery. He was shocked when he saw her pack up a make-up bag. He hadn't thought that she owned anything like that.

"I am a girl Wood. We all own this stuff." She teased. "I can even walk in heels when I want." Oliver threw a stuffed football at her. It bounced off her head and noiselessly onto the ground. She rushed over and tackled him down onto her bed where they began wrestling. Oliver was about to pin her when they heard a screech come from the window. A beautiful barn owl was pecking at Mercy's window. She rolled over and detached the letter from the bird's leg, giving it a quick rub under its beak. Mercy smiled when she read the letter and then stuffed it in her pocket.

"So, we ready to go?" She asked, grabbing the garment bag that was holding her dress. Oliver nodded and took her backpack that held all of her other things (with the help of a shrinking charm of course). In the kitchen, everyone was eating the rest of the French toast, including Ryan who Mercy assumed was supposed to be at work. She honestly couldn't keep track of his schedule even when she was home regularly.

"Well, it's time for us to go if we want to miss traffic." Mercy announced. Everyone stood up to give their goodbyes. She kissed her mother and father, who in turn hugged and shook hands with Oliver, wishing them both a good term. Nate and Derrick hugged her and shook Oliver's hand. Ryan had a mischievous grin on his face as he walked up to her. He lifted his hand over their heads.

"Gotta kiss under the mistletoe." He teased. Mercy looked up and saw two leaves above them and rolled her eyes.

"Bay leaves are not mistletoe you twit." She responded. "Honestly, you've tried parsley, sage, thyme and now bay leaves? Will one of you lock him up or something?" She whined to her brothers who just shrugged and took the leaves out of Ryan's hand. Derrick smacked him upside the head while Nate muttered "git" under his breath.

"What? I can't get a kiss from my favorite girl in the whole wide world before she becomes a useful member of society?" His eyes widened and Mercy could tell that he was going to fake tears.

"I think you've gotten enough." Oliver muttered causing Ryan's gaze to snap up and Mercy to cringe.

"Beg your pardon?"

"I said, I think you've gotten enough."

"And how would you know?"

"Because I'm her best mate and she tells me things." Everyone turned to Mercy who looked completely helpless.

"Like what?"

"Like how you used her for a one night stand."

"Oliver…"

"I did what now?"

"You heard me." Ryan looked at Mercy incredulously.

"What did you do to our sister?" Nate demanded.

"Bloody hell." Mercy rubbed her face.

"Oh and you're so innocent? I'm sure you've shagged her as well. Best mate my arse!"

"RYAN!" Mercy exclaimed. "How _dare_ you say something like that!" She turned to Oliver and told him she'd meet him outside after he put everything in the "car". Oliver nodded, though he looked like he wanted to punch Ryan in the face. That's what Mercy was trying to avoid. Once Oliver was out of the apartment everyone began demanding answers of her.

"Did you two really?"

"How could you do that?"

"She's our sister!"

"I KNOW THAT!"

"I had to tell him something." Mercy told them. "He was asking questions and it was the first thing that popped into my head."

"Because the truth isn't a better answer?" Ryan said angrily. "How can you call him your best mate if he doesn't know?"

"Because he doesn't need to know. I have the others and teachers. He doesn't need anything else distracting him in school. He's the only one who doesn't treat me funny."

"You need to be treated differently."

"I can take care of myself Ryan. Now it's time for me to leave, so calm down. Ryan and I did not have a one night shag."

"Damn right we didn't. I know better."

"And Oliver and I haven't done anything." She repeated, making sure Ryan knew to stop acting like a twit. She hugged her family once more and then headed out the door where Oliver was waiting, leaning up against the outside of the pub. Her backpack was shrugged over his shoulder and her garment bag, Mercy could only assume was shrunk in his pocket.

"Off to my house?" Mercy nodded and together they walked towards a small alleyway, Oliver's arm slung over her shoulder. From the apartment window, Ryan watched angrily. He still didn't believe her.

Once they'd apparated to the Wood household, Mercy was greeted by Mrs. Wood who told Oliver to bring her things into the guest bedroom. Oliver did as he was told and Mercy exchanged pleasantries with the older woman.

* * *

Hope you liked it! Please R/R! Here's the preview for the next chapter:

"_Oliver, there's something you should know before we graduate." She took a deep breath and Oliver held his. "I-"_


	13. Cause for Celebration

Special thanks to: xXxCastielxXx, jessa824, and AustralianGypsy. Chapter dedication goes to Hawthorn Monogyna!

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13. Cause For Celebration

Mercy ended up making lunch for the Wood family the day of the party. Mrs. Wood of course wanted to help, but Mercy refused saying that it was the least she could do since they were letting her stay until the end of break. Oliver didn't mind though, his mom wasn't the worst cook, but she certainly was not at Mercy's level. The entire day, Mercy and Oliver were helping around the house to prepare for the party. Together they charmed a dance floor in the living room and stocked the bar. Before they had to go get ready for the party, Oliver pulled Mercy outside to play in the snow for a bit. Mrs. Wood made sure that they were both bundled up sufficiently seeing as she was a MediWitch and did not want any more patients than she already had. As soon as Oliver stepped outside he was hit in the face with a snowball. He then proceeded to chase her around the house until he tackled her to the ground and shoved snow down her jacket. Mercy began wiggling around in the snow trying to get out of his grip but failed miserably.

"Alright…alright. I give! Let me up!" She cried, still wiggling. Oliver let her up and they walked to the wooden swing attached to an oak tree in Oliver's backyard. Together they sat in silence, Oliver gently rocking them back and forth with his feet since Mercy's didn't reach; something Oliver was quick to make fun of her for. She merely smacked his arm and then rested her head on his shoulder, his arm around her. Mercy liked when they did this. It wasn't often that she was able to sit in silence with someone without it being awkward or suspicious. If Fred and George were quiet, she would assume they were scheming about something, with the girls, they were probably bracing themselves to confront her about who she liked or a guy that liked her, or how Mercy needed to date more. With Oliver, it was just different. They could spend hours together in silence, he thinking his thoughts and she with hers.

_Actually,_ Mercy thought, _this would be the perfect opportunity to tell him!_ Her eyes flashed wide and she sat up straighter in the swing. Oliver cocked an eyebrow in her direction at the sudden movement.

"Something wrong?" He asked. Oliver's thoughts had been on the scouts that would be arriving in a few hours. His father still hadn't told him who would be there.

"No…I just need to tell you something." Oliver shifted his position so that he was facing her, straddling the swing seat. It was rare for Mercy to be so serious about something and the fact that she wasn't meeting his gaze was discomforting.

"What is it?"

"Oliver, there's something you should know before we graduate." She took a deep breath and Oliver held his. "I-"

"MERCY! OLIVER! Get inside now! The guests will be here in an hour and you both need to be looking your best!" Mrs. Wood shouted from the back door. Oliver jumped up. An hour? The scouts will be here in an hour!

"Can we talk about this later love? I promise I'll listen to the whole thing." Mercy nodded, fiddling with her hands. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and began running into the house. When Oliver realized Mercy wasn't following he turned back to her. "You coming?" She nodded and waved him off, signaling for him to go ahead, she'd be inside in a minute.

Once Oliver was inside, Mercy began to walk slowly in. She had tried. Tried and failed miserably. In all honesty, Mercy was kind of relieved because she wasn't sure if she would be able to get the words out. Mrs. Wood met her in the mud room and made sure Mercy took off all wet clothing before heading upstairs to shower and change.

"Is something wrong dear?"

"I tried." Mercy told her. "I guess my timing was just wrong." She gave Mrs. Wood a smile. "Tonight is about Oliver and getting him a job. We can deal with this another time." Mrs. Wood gave her an understanding smile and a hug.

"He doesn't know how lucky he is to have you." Mrs. Wood muttered after shooing Mercy upstairs where the girl ran into the shower right after Oliver left.

After checking the temperature of the water, Mercy stepped in and tried to rid her mind of her failed attempt. Once out of the shower, Mercy walked down the hall to her bedroom, conscious of Oliver's humming a few doors down. She grabbed her wand and dried her hair, deciding to deal with the styling later. Angelina was always good at that, but Mercy lacked creativity in that department. Instead, she unzipped her garment bag and pulled out the dress her mother had made. She smirked at the thought of Oliver having to kiss the Perkins girl. It would wipe the cheeky grin right off his face. Mercy heard the doorbell ring and someone whoosh out of the fireplace before she was ready for the party to start. Oliver knocked on her door.

"Not decent!" Mercy shouted.

"When are you ever?" He responded which caused Mercy to roll her eyes as she slipped the dress on. "Meet you downstairs?"

"Yep." She heard Oliver walk down the hall and Mercy finished putting on her make-up and shoes before standing in front of the vanity mirror trying to figure out what to do with her hair.

"_Your hair is so pretty when it's down"_ Angelina would tell her.

_"You have no idea how many girls would kill for wavy locks like that"_ Katie would add.

With a flick of her wand, Mercy finished with her hair, straightened her dress and stepped out of the safety of the bedroom. The party was starting to become lively and Mercy had no clue where Oliver was. She was sure that his mother had put him to work taking coats or greeting people, so Mercy made her way to the drink table and grabbed herself a firewhiskey on the rocks. There were a few guys there that were her age and she waved at them when they caught her eye. One of them was even so bold as to whistle at her, which caused a faint blush to come to her cheeks. Instead of responding to the boys, she began mingling with some of the adults at the party. Mr. Wood introduced her to a few people who appeared to be businessmen of sorts.

"So Mercedes, what do you plan on doing after you graduate?" The man named Frank asked.

"I'm going to go run my father's pub in the Muggle world." She told them which caused a few strange looks, except from Frank who nodded approvingly.

"So you're Muggleborn." Daniel asked.

"Half sir. My father is a wizard." They talked for a bit about the Muggle world and Frank asked what football team she rooted for since he was a halfblood and upon learning that Mercy was a Blackpool fan, he instantly began asking her how the team had been doing.

"Well do you mind if I get your opinion on Quidditch then?" Mercy smiled.

"I enjoy watching it, but I am not meant to fly. Give me a football and I'd be much happier. My best mate though, he's very dedicated to Quidditch."

"You wouldn't happen to mean Oliver Wood, would you? What is he like on the field?" Mercy took a sip of her whiskey.

"Oliver is extremely hard working when it comes to Quidditch, and it shows on the field. Don't ask him though, Oliver tends to downplay himself when it comes to his team." Mercy told them. "If you ask him about Gryffindor's team, I bet he won't even mention himself."

"Why does he do that?"

"It is his belief that if a team plays correctly, there is really no need for a Keeper." Mercy paused, "_However_, Oliver is a fantastic Keeper. He takes risk, but not for the sake of showing off. He only pulls a crazy move if it is extremely necessary." This caused a chorus of approving nods from the men.

"That's good to hear. Most players nowadays think we're looking for flashy moves when we just want a solid player."

"Then Oliver is the right man for the job-" Mercy stopped halfway to taking another sip of her drink, "Wait…what do you mean we?"

"There you are!" Oliver exclaimed happily putting his arm around Mercy's waist. He'd noticed she was speaking with Frank Marshall and Daniel Cummings, a scout and a coach from Puddlemere United. He hoped she hadn't ruined things for him. Her glass was half empty and Oliver didn't know what Mercy's threshold for alcohol was.

"Hey Oliver!" Mercy smiled, "Been having a good night so far?" She noticed that Oliver's cheek was a little red on one side.

"So this is Oliver Wood. It's a pleasure to meet you." Frank said, shaking Oliver's hand. Daniel did the same.

"Mercedes here has just been telling us about your Quidditch skills."

"Really now? And what did Mercy have to say to a Puddlemere scout and coach?" Oliver quirked an eyebrow at Mercy who shrunk away a little, though not enough for the other men to notice. Oliver felt it though. Mercy was extremely embarrassed. She hadn't known these men were from Puddlemere or she would have feigned stupidity when it came to Quidditch or something.

"She's given you nothing but compliments." Dan assured him. "Do you mind if we have a word with you Mr. Wood?" Oliver nodded and followed the two men to a more secluded spot in the house, but not before giving Mercy an unsure look. Mercy felt her heart race a little. She poured another drink from the bar and walked behind one of the large burgundy curtains in the house and drank her drink quickly, placing the glass on the windowsill that was nearby. Mercy was having a hard time slowing her breathing. In her mind, she had just ruined Oliver's chance at getting an invite to try-out for Puddlemere. Had she said the wrong thing? Were they just being nice? Forgetting where she was, Mercy began pacing back and forth behind the curtain.

Suddenly someone joined Mercy behind the curtain and pinned her against the wall. It was Oliver. His face was nearly impossible to read and Mercy felt extremely small even though she was in three inch heels.

"We have a problem." Oliver told her, staring straight into her eyes.

"Oliver I'm so sorry! I didn't know they were scouts! If I ruined anything for you I'll go set the record straight, say I forgot to take my medication or something!"

"That's not the problem."

"They're going to come watch you play! Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that you are looking extremely beautiful tonight." Mercy smirked as Oliver looked over the form fitting gold dress. He'd seen her in dresses before, but this one accentuated every curve on her body and it was extremely hard for Oliver to control himself, especially with such close proximity.

"Then I suggest you go find Perkins."

"I already did. Why do you think my cheek is red?"

"Oh my gosh! She hit you? I'll kill her!"

"Apparently she has a boyfriend now." Oliver explained causing Mercy to laugh.

"I'm sorry. Let me make it better." She reached up and kissed Oliver on the cheek. "Better?" He nodded. "Good, now let's go get some more drinks!"

"How about some food too?"

"Yeah, I guess." Oliver walked out first and Mercy grabbed her empty glass, glad that she had succeeded in helping Oliver instead of messing everything up. When she thought about it, Oliver looked really good that night in his dress shirt and tie. Mercy shook her head trying to rid herself of the thought. He was her friend for Merlin's sake. She grabbed another drink before meeting Oliver at the food table. People were dancing on the floor and Mercy and Oliver chatted with Sean, Oliver's brother, and his girlfriend Amy. A boy came over and asked Mercy to dance, to which she accepted and Oliver watched the two go out on the floor.

Mercy began talking with the boy, Kyle as she now knew him to be, and although he was extremely good looking, his personality left something to be desired. From what she'd been able to figure out, he'd graduated from Durmstrang last year and was currently an intern at St. Mungos in the Emergency Room. As interesting as he was, Mercy couldn't help but be bored. He was trying too hard.

Oliver looked on from the side of the dance floor. He was sure Mercy could handle herself, and the guy she was with didn't appear to be making any forward advances, but the situation made him uncomfortable. Sean and Amy exchanged knowing glances.

"So Oliver, do you plan on asking Mercy out anytime soon?" Sean teased.

"No. And what do you mean anytime soon? She's my best mate." He objected, still eyeing Mercy on the floor. The guy's hands were starting to roam a little.

"For Merlin's sake Oliver!" Amy sighed, "You're more obvious than Sean when he was afraid to ask me out!"

"I was _not_ afraid to ask you out!"

"Then how come you had Billy do it for you?"

Oliver tuned them out and put his drink down on a nearby table. He saw Mercy give him a slight 'help' look, so he walked over and tapped Kyle on the shoulder.

"Mind if I cut in?" Kyle eyed him up and down, assessing whether or not Oliver was a threat.

"It's up to Mercedes." Oliver turned to her and she smiled.

"Of course." Kyle frowned.

"Really?"

"Yes really." Mercy put her arms around Oliver's shoulders and he smirked at his victory while pulling Mercy closer to him. When Kyle left, Mercy rolled her eyes and the two began joking about things that had happened during the night. One of Mr. Wood's colleagues was extremely drunk and nearly toppled the dessert table. Luckily his wife kept him steady. Someone's eight year old son was running around trying to look up girls' skirts, and a little girl was chasing him around with a spoon hitting him every time.

Oliver and Mercy danced for a few more songs trying to avoid any awkward situations now that they had run out of amusing things to talk about. Whenever Kyle looked over though, Oliver was quick to tighten his grip on Mercy's waist. The fabric of her dress was soft and slick in his hands. Although his hands slipped on occasion, Mercy acted as though she didn't notice. Instead, she merely moved closer to him. With a mutual smile they circled the dance floor again. Mr. Wood winked at Oliver who rolled his eyes but failed to hide his blush. Mercy smirked but had to admit that he looked cute when he was embarrassed. She didn't know what caused his embarrassment since he had already been accepted to come try out of Puddlemere. It was because of the early acceptance that Mercy was hoping she would not have to act on her best behavior any longer.

"So Wood, when do we get to celebrate your success?"

"Whenever you want." He said with a smirk. Mercy smiled in return and backed away a few steps. Ignoring the slow song that was playing, she began jumping, dancing and spinning around, her curls swirling vigorously around her face. The display reminded Oliver of a kangaroo having a seizure. He laughed despite himself and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her.

"Why don't we go celebrate somewhere else? Somewhere a little more private, yeah?" Mercy put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.

"You just don't want me to have any fun."

"I got slapped for the sake of your fun."

"It's not my fault you bet against me. The twins would have known better."

"How was I supposed to know you'd look bloody fantastic?"

"You should just know. I mean we've been best mates for close to seven years now. How have you not noticed that I'm a catch?" She teased with a wink. "I blame ruddy Quidditch." Oliver rolled his eyes and hugged her unnecessarily tight.

"I've been blind love. How will you ever forgive me?" He began to fake cry.

"You can start by giving my lungs some oxygen." He let her go. "And let's get another drink." He chuckled as she lead him to the drink table where she mixed together two strong looking cocktails and two shots. Oliver took one of each and then he lead her upstairs and out of his bedroom window onto the roof. He quickly cleared off a patch of snow so they could sit. Mercy slipped a little as she sat and cursed her shoes. Without a second thought, she kicked them off her feet with such force that they fell off the roof. Giggling, she tried to compose herself as she raised her shot glass.

"Congratulations on making the try-out. May your hands never miss and your face not get Bludgered."

"Here here!" They clinked their glasses and swallowed the burning liquid, Mercy's body shivering as the alcohol slid down her throat. Instinctively, Oliver took off his cloak and put it over her shoulders. Oliver watched her as she sipped her drink, her carefree attitude was probably due to the copious amounts of alcohol she'd consumed that night, but he didn't care. Mercy always did what she wanted and he could only assume that she was drinking to cross "get smashed" off her to-do list.

"Knut for your thoughts?" She asked.

"What's the deal with you and Nichol?" Mercy stared at her drink, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"He's agreed to play by my rules."

"Your rules?"

"No strings attached. We date, but we're not exclusive."

"That makes absolutely no sense love." He chuckled, the ice in his drink clinking as he drank.

"Well I don't want a boyfriend, just someone to hang out with. It's a nice perk if he wants to pay for everything." She teased. Oliver rolled his eyes but had little doubt that she wasn't being serious. He decided to test the idea, though the courage must have come from alcohol. From inside the house the countdown could be heard.

"_Ten!_"

"So, if you don't want anything serious, mind if I celebrate how I wanted to?"

"_Nine!_"

"What did you have in mind?"

"_Eight!_"

He kissed her without hesitation.

"_Seven!_"

She didn't pull away.

"_Six!_"

He cupped her cheek.

"_Five!_"

She grabbed his neck.

"_Four!...Three!...Two…One!"_ Oliver pulled away with a smile.

"Happy New Year love."

"Yeah yeah, get back here." She teased before bringing their lips crashing together again, both of them smiling in the process.

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Gasp! Could I make things any more confusing and annoying for all you readers? Of course I can, which is why you should review and wait patiently for Chapter 14.

Here's the preview:

"_Oh good Oliver, let's get caught out after hours. Brilliant you are."_

"_Yes, I was freaked that we snogged. We were both sloshed beyond belief. I just didn't think it had affected our friendship so badly that you wouldn't tell me something this important!"_


	14. An Explanation

I am so sorry this took me so long to update. Classes have been a pain but I should be back in full action by next week! Here's something to tie you all over (hopefully).

Special thanks to: AnGelFacE S2, helenpotter94, Rockinrachy, xXxCastielxXx, and SecretlyAGryffindor. This chapter is dedicated to all of you since I made you wait so long!

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14. An Explanation

Mercy and Oliver joined their friends on the Hogwarts Express to head back to school. Neither one spoke about their New Year's escapades and they did their best not to act differently around each other. She didn't know if Oliver was willing to play by her rules, but he didn't mention anything otherwise. Maybe he'd forgotten about it. When they reached Hogwarts, Mercy was tackled to the ground by the twins who began incessantly asking if she'd received the boxes of joke-shop paraphernalia that they had sent her for Christmas. Instead of voicing her answer, Mercy simply shook Fred's hand which caused his hair to stand on end. Fred, being Fred, smiled in response and hugged her before shoving a pastry in her mouth. At first, Mercy chewed with a smug smile but then her face slowly started turning red and steam shot out of her ears. She swallowed the treat and shook her head at the redhead who stared dumbfounded. George patted her on the back and rolled his eyes at his brother before they all headed in for dinner.

Oliver avoided all physical contact during the meal and Mercy tried not to let it bother her. She never realized how much more comfortable it was when he'd keep a hand on her waist or elbow her as she was about to put pudding in her mouth, making it smear across her face. It seemed that she wasn't the only one to notice either. Trying not to make an awkward situation worse, Mercy shrugged off Oliver's behavior to the fact that he was now going to be going ballistic over the Quidditch game that was nearly two months away and how Potter didn't have a decent broom yet. Thank Merlin for stressing her best mate out more yeah?

By the time dinner was finished, Fred had given Mercy enough questioning glances for her to know that they needed to talk, so she wasn't shocked when he and George pulled her into their dormitory upon reaching Gryffindor tower.

"Spill."

"Now."

"There's nothing to tell really."

"Bollocks."

"You two are never like this. He wouldn't even look at you when you teased him about Quidditch." George argued.

"Something happened and we need to know so we can help." Mercy sighed and knew she had to admit defeat.

"Puddlemere is coming to watch him at the Quidditch match. He's a little stressed right now." Okay, so it wasn't a complete lie. They didn't need to know that they were both sloshed and took a few liberties. The twins seemed to believe her so she walked out of their room and into the Common Room. Fred and George looked at each other.

"They snogged."

"Oliver?"

"Let's." They grinned and ran up to the seventh year dormitory, not even bothering to knock. Oliver was reading Quidditch Weekly and looked up upon their arrival.

"So, Puddlemere is coming to watch the match?" Oliver nodded with a nervous grin.

"This could be my chance to make the big leagues."

"And that's why you and Mercy have been acting funny?"

"Afraid if you touch her she'll jinx you? Is that what it is?" Fred teased. Oliver frowned and paled slightly. He hadn't expected anyone to notice his behavior. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what this meant between them. He knew she was seeing Nichol, but New Year's was a shock even for him. They were both sloshed, they were lucky something worse didn't happen.

"Yeah, I guess my mind has just been completely boffed. You think she noticed?"

"No."

"Of course not."

"I mean you only avoided all contact with her all evening."

"There's no way she noticed."

"It's not like you're her boyfriend or anything."

"We'll leave the touching to Nichol." Fred goaded. Oliver stiffened at the mention of the other boy's name, even though he'd been thinking it only a moment earlier. The thought of him touching her like that had never occurred to him.

"Umm…yeah. She's seeing Nichol. Forgot about that."

"Alright, well you have fun sulking up here."

"We'll be in the kitchens." They left his room and grinned at each other.

"Snogged."

"Definitely."

"Bloody oblivious they are."

"To the kitchens?"

"To the kitchens."

"By the way, you owe me two galleons." George rolled his eyes and paid up. Together they hopped down the stairs and past Mercy who was now immersing herself in a collection of pamphlets. Although the boys didn't find this strange, Alicia, who was sitting further down on the couch, was quick to notice. She grabbed Mercy's reading material and her eyes widened in surprise. Mercy tried to grab them back but Alicia wouldn't let her. Instead she just stared at her friend incredulously. As she was holding the book above her head, Oliver walked through and grabbed it from her, curious as to why Mercy wasn't supposed to be reading it.

"Le Cordon Bleu in France? The Italian Institute for Culinary and Pastry Arts? The Culinary Institute of America?" He looked at her questioningly.

"I applied over the holiday, figured I should try and figure out which ones I'd like to go to the most." She muttered. Oliver threw the pamphlets down.

"And when were you going to tell me? As your best mate I should know that you're applying to schools out of the bloody country!"

"Maybe I was going to tell you when you stopped acting like I was suffering from some bloody disease!" She exclaimed, standing up. He took a bold step towards her. Everyone in the room was staring at them. Oliver quickly became conscious about their gazes and grabbed Mercy by the arm, leading her out of the room.

"Oh good Oliver, let's get caught out after hours. Brilliant you are." She said sarcastically. He led her into an abandoned classroom and pushed her into a seat, leaning close to her.

"You know _exactly_ why I've been acting the way I have. How can you sit there and pretend we didn't snog?" he seethed.

"I'm not pretending anything Oliver. I accept the fact that we had a brilliant snog on your roof and that's all it was. What did you expect from this?"

"I don't know, but I didn't bloody expect you not to tell me about your after school plans!" He pushed away from her and paced back and forth in the room. "You're my best mate! How could you not tell me?"

"I was going to, I just never got the chance. Besides…I figured you were too freaked out after we snogged to mention anything that might make you mad." Oliver sat down next to her and took her hands in his.

"Yes, I was freaked that we snogged. We were both sloshed beyond belief. I just didn't think it had affected our friendship so badly that you wouldn't tell me something this important! Why would you think this would make me mad?"

"Because it means I'm definitely not living in the Wizarding World after graduation." She said softly. "I know how much we avoid the topic, but I really want this Oliver. I want to go to culinary school." He stared into her eyes which were begging for his acceptance.

"Then I'm happy for you Mercy." He smiled, pulling her into a hug. "You just make sure to cook me some of the stuff you learn and we'll call it even." She smiled into his chest and nodded. After a minute they walked back into the Common Room, Oliver's arm around her shoulder.

The next morning Mercy woke to her roommates demanding that she do something about the bouncy balls that were attacking their bedroom door. With a roll of her eyes, she pulled on slippers and a sweatshirt before opening the door, only to get pelted in the forehead with a green ball.

"FRED! GEORGE!" She shouted. "Knock it off! It's bloody six in the morning!" The balls fell to the ground and she glared at her two friends who were grinning from the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh good, you're up." Fred teased.

"Fancy coming with us to breakfast?" George added.

"I was sleeping."

"Well then we'll just keep at it then." Fred flicked his wand and the balls started attacking her until she gave in. Mercy changed as quickly as possible and grabbed her book bag on her way out, hoping that she hadn't forgotten anything. Fred and George flanked her and together they headed to breakfast.

"So, did you tell him?" George asked, buttering a piece of toast.

"Yeah. He knows about culinary school, actually was alright about it too as long as I cook for him. Merlin knows he's going to need nutritious food once Puddlemere drafts him."

"Mercy, you're impossible." She grinned through a mouthful of eggs.

"I know."

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Hope you enjoyed it…what do you think? Not my best work, but bear with me please :-P

And Please R/R!

Preview for Chapter 15:

"_Shut it Wood, before you make me do something I might regret."_

_Swish and BOOM!_

"_I thought you were a man!"_


	15. Back Massages and Mischief

Special thanks to xXxCastielxXx, helenpotter94, Hawthorn Monogyna, and SecretlyAGryffindor for the reviews and…this chapter is dedicated to ilove FREDOC OLIVEROC DRACOOC for your extremely to the point review and the fact that you are a new reader.

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Back Massages and Mischief

It had been two weeks since Mercy had told Oliver about culinary school and she was glad to have it off her chest. The fact that he was going to support her made things easier to stomach. All she had to do now was keep her mother from freaking out. Oliver constantly teased her with the idea that Lorraine would follow Mercy to America in order to make sure her baby girl was safe.

"Nah, Mom will just send Ryan along with me. He's always wanted to go to America." She shot back. Oliver grimaced at the idea which meant that Mercy won. They were in Transfiguration and Mercy was diligently copying the last of Oliver's homework before they had to hand it in. Professor McGonagall started talking to them about how to remove someone from their animagus form. Mercy tried her best to pay attention but her attention failed her and she peeked over at Oliver's notebook. He, apparently, wasn't paying any attention either. Instead he was doodling on the edge of his notebook. This caught Mercy by surprise. She never realized how often Oliver doodled. She moved closer to get a better look and noticed that they were actually rather good doodles. He was copying Mercy's untouched quill, making look like it was exploding. As though he felt her gaze, Oliver smirked and then drew a quick sketch of an angry Mercy waving her wand at the quill. Without thinking, she pushed him out of his seat.

"Mr. Wood!" McGonagall exclaimed. Oliver sat dumbstruck for a moment and Mercy tried to hide her laughter. He turned bright red and Mercy lost it, she fell out of her seat laughing which in turn caused Oliver to laugh.

"Mr. Wood! Miss Gauge! Both of you out!" She flicked her wand and their books were in their bags and floated outside, the two following suit. Mercy slid down the stone wall and tried to control her laughter. Oliver was shocked she wasn't crying because he had tears streaming down his face.

"You should have seen your face!"

"You pushed me!"

"You insinuated that I couldn't perform a spell on my ruddy quill!"

"I was merely re-enacting third year when you blew up your quill in Flitwick's class!"

"Well now you know not to! I've forgotten it and so should you."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that. The look on _your_ face was priceless."

"Shut it Wood, before you make me do something I might regret."

"Like what?"

"Don't test me."

"Swish and BOOM!" Oliver teased, falling over in laughter. Mercy immediately pulled him into a headlock and began giving him a noogie. Through his laughter, Oliver began trying to fight back, knowing that he could easily over power her if necessary. She held on as tight as she could without risking actually choking him. He flailed his arms in an attempt to distract her, but she kept her hold.

"Come on Mercy, this is starting to hurt my head." He whined.

"Not until you say it."

"Say what?"

"You know what."

"No bloody way!"

"Then let the torture continue!" She exclaimed, pressing harder into his scalp with her knuckle. After living with Derrick, she knew a thing or two about a good noogie. Oliver continued to ask her to stop, his arms trying to reach something to hit her with. Eventually, he grabbed her ponytail and pulled. He expected her to cry out in pain, but instead, Mercy just fell onto her side, doing her best to keep him in the headlock.

"Trying to pull my hair out? I thought you were a man!" She teased, wrapping her legs around his waist. Oliver struggled against her causing them both to topple to the ground, Mercy straddling Oliver's waist. As if their timing couldn't have been any worse, Peeves floated by and, in true Peeves fashion, couldn't resist temptation.

"Ooh ickly seventh years being inappropriate in the hallways. MISTER FILCH!" He shouted, causing Mercy and Oliver to jump off of each other and run for the hills. If Filch actually listened to Peeves, they knew they would be in for it. Oliver pulled her into a classroom and they listened by the door as the poltergeist flew by looking for them, making jokes about snogging in broom closets.

"Mister Wood, Miss Gauge, can I help you with something?" They both turned and blushed at the sight of a class full of third years stared at them, Professor Lupin giving them a questioning smile.

"Umm…"

"We…"

"When is that essay about Unforgivables due?" Mercy supplied weakly.

"In two weeks. Is that all?" Oliver nodded and pulled Mercy out of the classroom. Once out of earshot they started laughing again, agreeing that they were lucky they hadn't landed in someone else's room where they would surely have received detention or lost points for Gryffindor. Remus Lupin was a godsend and that's all Mercy really cared about. He at least had a sense of humor when it came to her pushing Oliver out of a chair in the middle of class. She muttered angrily about how McGonagall could take a page out of Lupin's book and Oliver teased her.

"Someone have a crush on our dear professor?" He poked her side with a wicked grin on his face. She shoved him into the wall.

"No. I just think good old Minnie needs to lighten up a bit. I mean it wasn't like we _completely_ disturbed the class. And now we have no clue what she assigned for homework. Whatever will I do with my evening without Transfiguration to amuse me?" She sighed dramatically.

"You have Quidditch practice to come watch." Oliver reminded her which caused her to frown. Although they had been doing this for years, Mercy was not looking forward to sitting in the stands in the freezing cold while her friends practiced for two hours. She would rather let Fred and George test that love potion on her again with Percy…alright maybe not, but she certainly was not looking forward to this evening. Oliver pulled her into a one armed hug and led her to the great hall for sinner. Neither of them had classes after Transfiguration so they took their time with steak and potatoes, making sure to grab a few rolls in case they were hungry later.

Fred and George were nowhere to be found and that made them both worried. Either the twins were up to something that would lead to detention and them not being able to make it to practice tonight, or they were already in detention for doing something that would keep them from practice. Immediately, Mercy and Oliver ran to the common room only to find the twins huddled with their three chasers and Lee whispering something near the fire. Mercy signaled for Oliver to keep quiet and she pulled something out of her backpack and crouched behind one of the couches, motioning for Oliver to follow her. She had the prototype for Fred and George's Extendable ears and rolled the other half close to the group.

"Honestly, I wish they would just admit it already."

"How many times do we have to go over this? Mercy is too bloody stupid for her own good." Oliver covered Mercy's mouth to keep her from saying anything.

"She's not stupid, she's just oblivious." Katie explained. "I mean who wouldn't want to shag him? He's ruddy gorgeous." Oliver stiffened at the thought of Mercy shagging someone.

"I can't believe you just said that." Lee protested.

"He's just as ruddy guilty as she is. I mean we all know they snogged and their fight had nothing to do with Oliver having a cow about the scouts coming to the Cup match or Mercy going to culinary school."

"Can't wait for that though"

"She's going to make some fantastic stuff."

"And we get to eat it!"

"Will you two stop thinking with your stomachs?" Angelina moaned in frustration. "Look if it comes down to it, we're going to lock them in a ruddy closet together."

Mercy and Oliver looked at each other, both highly amused. So they all knew that they had snogged and thought that they were meant to be together? Oliver wiggled his eyebrows and Mercy stifled a giggle.

"What do we do about Nichol?"

"What about him?"

"Well they're obviously seeing each other, even if Mercy insists that it's not serious. He's head over heels with her."

"Never mind the fact that the two of them would make gorgeous babies in the Muggle world."

"Oye Katie! Stop talking about people being gorgeous or making babies! This is a serious matter!" Alicia smacked her friend. "We need to get Nichol out of the picture."

"He's not going to give her up."

"And why is that George?"

"Because he gets the best of both worlds. He can date Mercy but still shag any bird he pleases. No guy is going to give that up."

"I wouldn't."

"Me neither." A chorus of slaps and "OWs" could be heard and Mercy pulled the eavesdropping device away from them. She and Oliver snuck up into his dormitory and sat on his bed in awkward silence. Neither one knew what to do with the information they'd just heard. Mercy munched on her dinner roll and wiggled her toes. She knew this wasn't going to be good considering the fact that Oliver hadn't said anything and she still wasn't sure where they stood after their whole snogging session. Suddenly Oliver started laughing so hard he nearly fell off the bed.

"He's finally gone mental." Mercy muttered to herself as she stared awkwardly at her friend as he tried to compose himself. Wiping a tear from his eye, Oliver sat down next to her and gave her a wicked smile.

"They think…those nutters downstairs think…that we're in love!" He burst out laughing again and Mercy couldn't help but follow suit. "I mean yes the snog was fantastic, but no offense Mercy, I love you."

"But I'm not in love with you." She finished with a smile, finally catching on. "So, what are we going to do about said nutters? I personally suggest you give them all twenty running laps around the bloody pitch just for insinuating such a thing." If possible, Oliver's grin became even more wicked.

"I was thinking suicides." They high-fived and Mercy skipped down the stairs and to her own dormitory to grab what she needed to go to the pitch. Oliver slumped down on his bed and let out a sigh that had been desperately trying to make itself known. Yes, he was upset that their friends had thought they were in love, but Oliver had more things to worry about than whether or not his feelings for Mercy were real. As it was, he was fairly certain she did not reciprocate those feelings, no matter how long their snogging session had lasted (exactly an hour, eight minutes and seventeen seconds but who's counting?). He had already determined that he was _not_ going to play by her no strings attached rule, so he was going to have to find other things to occupy his mind, like oh I don't know, the Quidditch scouts coming to watch him play in a month and a half. That would definitely do the trick. Oliver was also certain he could find another bird to occupy him physically while he was trying to finalize any emotions he had towards his best friend. He just had to make sure not to blow a casket if he saw Mercy and Nichol snogging. The thought made him shudder.

"Oye Wood! You're going to be late for your own ruddy practice!" Mercy yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Oliver shook himself out of his stupor, changed for practice and grabbed Mercy on his way out of the castle. It was cold and Mercy pulled her jacket closer around her person as they rushed to the pitch.

She sat in the stands as the rest of her friends practiced. Apparently they had not been able to convince Lee to watch them that day and Mercy was rather lonely. It was probably for the best though, since she had to practice some spells for charms and defense against the dark arts. She watched Oliver run everyone through drills and was extremely impressed, as always, with how well the Potter boy flew. She'd never be able to fly like that she was sure, especially since she had never been on a broom. Brooms, flying, quidditch, she always left all of that to Oliver.

She sighed…Oliver was becoming a common occurrence in her brain and although it was not unwelcome, the thoughts were becoming more and more confusing. Snogging him had been great, there was no denying it, but she wondered if it was because he'd been drunk not only on alcohol, but on adrenaline from being told that his favorite team would be looking at him during the Cup match. Had she just been a victory snog? Mercy shook her head. No, Oliver wouldn't do that to her and even if he did, why should she care? They were just mates and it really didn't mean a thing. Shaking her head, Mercy did her best to concentrate on her homework only taking time to watch Oliver make his friends run suicides until they dropped to which she cheered obnoxiously. They did not reciprocate her excitement.

Two hours later, darkness fell over Hogwarts and Mercy waited dutifully outside the locker room for Oliver. He'd worked hard and she knew he'd be sore just from the looks the rest of the team was giving her as they walked back to the castle. When Oliver emerged, he gave her a tired smile and they barely spoke as they entered the common room. Mercy followed him up into his room and chuckled as he fell down onto his bed with a soft groan. She rolled her eyes and sat down on the foot of his bed as he mumbled into his pillow.

"Sorry, didn't catch that." She teased, rolling up her sleeves and looking around the dorm wondering where his roommates were at this time of night. Oliver rolled over and looked at her.

"I said, I'm going to be bloody sore tomorrow. Remind me why I made the team do suicides?"

"Because those twits we call friends thought we were in love. You weren't supposed to run with them you nutter." She teased.

"You wouldn't happen to have a Muggle remedy to prevent soreness, would you?" He asked hopefully. Mercy began rolling up her sleeves. "Mercy, I'm not going to let you beat the soreness out of me. That'll leave bruises."

"Relax, I'm not going to punch you. I haven't done that in what, like four hours? Have a little faith in me. Now take off your shirt and lay down." Oliver eyed her skeptically. "I'm not going to bloody hurt you!" She flicked her wand and within seconds they heard something crash on the door to Oliver's room. Mercy stood up and opened the door, grabbing bottles off the ground. Oliver slowly took off his shirt and lay down as she asked, though hesitantly eyeing the bottles.

"They're just lotion so there's nothing to be worried about." Mercy put some of the lotion on her hands and rubbed them together to warm them before slowly working on Oliver's back, trying to keep her mind off of the fact that he was extremely fit. After some initial shock, he began to relax into her hands and let her work out the knots. He was shocked at how gentle she was being while still making him melt into the mattress and Oliver was acutely aware of the fact that she was straddling him and tried not to let it affect him. As her hands moved, he was almost positive she could feel the goose bumps trailing behind her fingertips.

Mercy wasn't sure what she was doing exactly, but decided to treat his back like a loaf of pizza dough that needed kneading. It appeared to be working because Oliver's back was nowhere near as tense as it had been. Her hands moved smoothly over his back and she was slightly embarrassed to see that he was reacting to her touch. She assumed it was because he'd never had a real massage before, though this couldn't be considered a real massage. Either way she tried to keep her focus on his back and not on his muscles rippling under her. It wasn't like she was doing this to get a rise out of him or anything…or the fact that she didn't mind that she basically had Hogwarts' star Quidditch player at her mercy…no she was just helping her friend relax.

"Hey Wood-" Mercy fell off the bed at the interruption and Oliver groaned. It was his roommate Leo, great kid, not so great with timing. "Oh sorry, didn't realize you were busy." Mercy popped up from the other side of the bed. "Never mind it's just Mercy."

"Gee thanks." She rolled her eyes and Oliver mumbled something into his pillow and waved his hand at Leo.

"Seriously dude?"

"Get out."

"But it's Merc-Oh." A grin spread across Leo's face. "Lucky bloke." He left the room whistling merrily and Mercy smacked Oliver's back.

"What?" He asked groggily, rolling over to face her.

"What the bloody hell was that about?"

"Nothing. I was just enjoying the silence." He grinned mischievously.

"Yeah well now Leo thinks we're up to something."

"We _are_ up to something. Your fingers are magical and I don't want him ruining the moment."

"You're a tart you know that. I don't want people thinking things that aren't true about us, especially with what the team has been up to. We will not get locked in a closet together at their doing!"

"It wouldn't be that bad." Oliver assured her, sitting up. "I mean we could just repeat New Year's. Would that be so terrible?"

"Well, no, but that's not how we work." She pouted.

"And how do we work exactly? Just a few months ago you swore massages were off limits to best mates."

"We don't just snog for the sake of snogging. I know you were just excited about getting the scouts to come to the match and we were both drunk and…I don't know. It wasn't supposed to happen. I'm not complaining, I know nothing is going to change, but we have to agree that it was just a fluke."

"Just a fluke huh?" She nodded, "So if I were to kiss you again, you would pull away?" Mercy shifted uncomfortably on the bed. In all honesty, she hadn't really thought about what she would do if it happened again. She couldn't fancy her best mate; that was against the rules.

"What about Adam?" She whispered staring at her lap.

"What about him? He agreed to your terms, doesn't that mean you can snog whomever you want?"

"Well yes…but…oh I don't know Wood! We're Oliver and Mercy, we don't do stuff like that!"

"Says who?" He moved closer to her and lifted her chin so that their eyes met. "Who says we can't have a snog or two? I don't know about you, but I've been thinking about it a lot and I really don't think it was because we were drunk. Maybe those nutty friends of ours are right, maybe there's something here that we should explore."

"Oliver…I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because one of us will get hurt. Katie has made me watch enough chick flicks to know that this is a bad idea."

"Don't all chick flicks have a happy ending?"

"Yes, but I know this won't."

"What's the harm in trying?"

"You may never speak to me again." She stood up and walked towards the door. Oliver jumped up and blocked her way. He knew he was putting himself out there, letting her know that he was interested and that he wanted to see where this would take them. Just admitting this could mean the end of their friendship, but that seemed to be all Mercy wanted to preserve.

"Mercy…come on love, if it means that much to you, we don't have to do anything about this. It was just an idea." She nodded, but again refused to meet his gaze. Oliver was noticing that this was becoming a common occurrence when they spoke to each other. "Will you at least look at me? I'll drop this crazy idea if it bothers you that much." She looked up and gave him a small smile.

"Since you're making a sacrifice, how about I make one too." She offered. Oliver waited expectantly, "Teach me how to fly."

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Hope you enjoyed that chapter…will Oliver teach Mercy to fly? Will they _ever_ get together or will the girls have to lock them in a broom cupboard? I hope not, that's extremely cliché. As usual, please R/R because I'm starting to feel that people aren't enjoying this story and it makes me sad.

Preview for chapter 16:

_ "Ebelskivers!"_

_ "Ebleskiverts!"_

_ "Ebublskivs!"_

"_We have to kill Nichol." _


	16. Official

I just want to apologize profusely for the extreme delay in chapter updating. I hit a bit of writer's block as well as graduation and a new job so unfortunately my writing suffered because of it.

Special thanks to: Duchess of Lantern Waste, helenpotter94, jessa824, i love this story (anonymous reader), xXxCastielxXx, PromiseToForget219, EmmA.C.9167, Triciaxy, and Anonymous Random Reader, for the reviews and to everyone who has me on alert or as a favorite.

I appreciate you all hanging in there for an update and I will do my best to never leave you hanging like that again!

Chapter Images are located here: .com/albums/ac198/5ftenforcer/

Without further ado…here's chapter 16!

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16 Official

Initially, Oliver had been excited about teaching Mercy how to fly but after careful consideration, he decided that they should wait until after the Quidditch Cup to do their lessons since the pitch was fully booked by both Gryffindor and Slytherin in preparation. Mercy agreed stating that all of Oliver's attention needed to be on the match. Instead she made sure to keep her distance a bit from him, other than their regular encounters during the day, Mercy was relatively absent after hours, spending time with Adam or up in her room. It was rather obvious to everyone that something had happened between the two and Oliver was too embarrassed to admit to it.

Mercy was sitting in the Great Hall flanked by the twins. She was trying to explain a Danish dessert that she'd read about and desperately wanted to try. But of course, Fred and George, being Fred and George, instantly got distracted by the name of the dessert and refused to stop saying it in ridiculous accents.

"Ebelskivers!"

"Ebleskiverts!"

"Ebublskivs!"

"Will you two shut it and listen to me!" She exclaimed, completely frustrated. "They're called _ebelskivers_ and they're basically a pancake filled with fruit or jam or custard. I really want to try making them but I need this stupid pan thingy, never mind a recipe for the dough."

"Relax Mercy, we'll find a way for you to make the ebskivlers." Fred assured her. "Because if you can't make them-"

"We can't eat them." George finished. "And we really like eating things you make." She rolled her eyes and looked to Oliver for a little help, but he was lost in his playbook. Frowning, she got up and decided to head to Ancient Runes early. Adam was quick to offer to walk her even though he had class on the other side of the castle. She let him take her books and they left happily. George kicked Oliver from under the table, causing the Scotsman to look up questioningly. He'd been watching Mercy out of the corner of his eye and was a little upset to see her walk off with Nichol.

"Why aren't you doing anything about that?" Fred asked, nodding to Mercy's retreating back. Oliver shrugged.

"There's nothing to do. She turned me down mate." The twins' jaws dropped. Angelina, Katie and Alicia all had similar looks on their faces. Realization dawned on Alicia's face as she started putting things together.

"Why exactly did she turn you down?"

"Apparently too many chick flicks courtesy of Katie." He muttered while the blonde blushed.

"Sorry Wood. She complained so much about them that I didn't think she ever actually paid attention to what was going on."

"What are you going to do to win her back?" Alicia asked as she and the girls squished closer to the boys.

"Abso-bloody-lutely nothing. She's got Nichol and I've got Quidditch to worry about. You lot need to mind your own business for once."

"Well sorrrrrrry!" Katie exclaimed, "We were just trying to help." Oliver stood up angrily, slamming his playbook shut.

"Yeah well it's your ruddy fault I'm in this mess. So I think you need to leave us be! We're adults, we can figure this out for ourselves. Sooner or later, Mercy and I will be back the way we used to be. There will be no forcing us into a broom closet or making us take love potions." The group all looked down at their hands guiltily. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some plays to finish before practice tonight. Prepare for a workout." Everyone groaned as Oliver walked away from the table. Had they known their secret planning would have lead to Oliver being in terrible moods and therefore worse practices, they definitely would have backed off sooner. Seeing as his mood wasn't going to improve, they all agreed to think up ideas for a plan B and would meet up after practice in Fred and George's dormitory.

Mercy walked quietly with Adam to Ancient Runes and listened as he told her the latest in some of the goings on in the Muggle world. Apparently a new Prime Minister might be appointed soon, though Mercy figured it was just rumors, there was also a new pop sensation called Green Day that Adam insisted they had to check out. Mercy said she would owl her family to see if they could get her a copy of the CD. As he walked away, Mercy stood in the doorway to the classroom watching him go. She knew Adam was a good guy, better than she felt she deserved, but he was interested and that made her smile.

Later that day, Mercy found herself walking towards the castle entrance to watch quidditch practice. Fred and George had begged her to go even though she was fairly certain Oliver wouldn't speak to her. He'd been avoiding her all day and she hoped that maybe the twins were right, maybe if she went about her life like they always did he would come to his senses. So, after bundling up in a sweatshirt and zipping her jacket, Mercy was met with the familiar crunch of snow as her feet packed it down along the trail to the pitch. Flying figures slowly made their way into her vision as she got closer and she could hear Oliver's voice booming across the field. She was shocked to feel her pulse quicken at the sound of his voice and instantly shrugged it off. It was only because he was yelling and it startled her. Mercy cleared off a bench on the pitch, nodded to the Granger girl and Ron before settling down with a cookbook, trying to memorize new techniques that she would have to try later in the kitchens.

Fred and George yelled to her as they flew by and she waved happily, trying not to look bored. She managed to catch Angelina send a rather difficult shot at the goal posts, only to see Oliver nearly fling himself off of his broom to make the save. Her breath caught in her throat as he precariously swung himself back onto the broom and toss the ball to Katie, a smirk on his face. Instinctively, he looked towards Mercy and frowned a little before continuing practice. She immediately turned her gaze back to her book and kept it there for the rest of practice. Instead of waiting for Oliver like she normally would, Mercy went right back to the castle once the team headed to the locker rooms.

Oliver let the team go and hit the showers. As usual, he was the last one to leave. He just couldn't get Mercy's face out of his head. He knew that move was going to make her worry, and his heart sunk when he saw her concern, but Oliver knew that it was part of the game. There was no way he could jeopardize a goal just because Mercy was afraid he was going to get hurt. It's not like he really meant a lot to her anyway, she didn't even want to _try_ to date him. She turned him down flat, so Oliver was determined not to let her feelings get in the way of his future. He was a little shocked though, when she wasn't waiting for him outside the locker room. For some reason, this upset him more than he could imagine. Mercy was always there for him, no matter how angry they were at each other. Was this going to be their new norm? He mentally kicked himself for even suggesting that they try to take their relationship further. Not having Mercy around was going to be hell. He walked back to the castle alone and was about to turn the corner near Gryffindor Tower when he heard two people talking outside the portrait.

"Do you think, maybe we could give it a go?"

"I don't know Adam, I don't want anyone to get hurt." He chuckled.

"Mercy, I promise that if I hurt you, I won't be shocked if some impressive hexes are sent my way. How does that sound?"

"But what if I hurt you?"

"Then I probably did something to deserve it. Come on, we're only young once. Why not stretch our legs a little?" Oliver peaked from around the corner and saw Mercy shuffling her feet nervously. His heart was beating hard in his chest. Then she looked at Nichol in a way that Oliver had never seen her look at someone before and she stretched up on her tip toes and gave Adam a kiss. The other boy pulled her close and mumbled something to her and she nodded, kissing him again. Oliver turned away and slid down the wall. His best mate was now dating the one bloke he couldn't stand her being near. And it was all his fault.

The next morning Mercy skipped happily down the Great Hall and greeted everyone with a smile before tucking in to breakfast. Adam stopped by and gave her a kiss on the cheek before running off to the dungeons for Potions. Oliver tried to hide his discomfort but the girls had already swarmed around Mercy the second Adam left.

"What was that about?" Angelina asked, Katie and Alicia moved closer to make sure they heard her response, pushing Fred and George out of the way in the process.

"Wotcher!"

"What are we? Doormats?"

"Shut it! Mercy's talking!" Katie scolded.

"Adam and I…" she took a sip of her juice. "Are officially a couple." The girls squealed in excitement and gave Mercy their congratulations.

"It just felt right, you know? I mean if I want to be extremely optimistic…we could possibly last after school, since he and I will both be living in the Muggle world and we'd be able to back each other's stories up with friends and family if they asked school questions. And we can talk football for hours." She smiled, though was shocked she'd actually thought that far ahead. With one final hug for Mercy, the girls got up and headed out of the Hall with Fred and George. Oliver sat awkwardly across from Mercy, unsure as what he was supposed to say. She seemed to sense his unease and fidgeted in her seat.

"You…you're not upset with me, are you?" She asked shyly. He could tell she was concerned. Oliver did his best to give her a reassuring smile.

"Of course not love. You do what you feel is best for you." He put his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze. "As long as we're still friends and Nichol doesn't get in the way of that, I'm fit as a phoenix." Mercy looked relieved and squeezed his hand back just as the owls came soaring in. Two envelopes were dropped in front of Mercy from her family owl and she stared at them wide-eyed.

Meanwhile…outside a transfiguration classroom, Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Fred and George were huddled together talking in hushed tones. Worry written all over their faces.

"What are we going to do about this?"

"If they're official, then Wood is going to be maniacal during practices."

"She's the only one who can keep him in line!"

"Nichol probably won't even let her spend time with Wood. He'll go nuts!"

"I'm too young to die!"

"We're going to have to intervene!" Fred exclaimed.

"We can't do that!" Katie told them. "Did you see the look on her face when she told us? She's in love! We can't cause her heartbreak! It just wouldn't be right. Can't we just let this take its course? I'm sure they won't be together forever and when they do break up, Wood can just sweep in and save the day and they'll fall in love and live happily ever after." She looked at her friends hopefully.

"Are you nuts?"

"You really have been watching too many chick flicks!"

"We should poison them!"

"Make it so they can't stand to be near each other!"

"We need to leave them alone!" Katie pleaded.

"So it's settled then….We have to kill Nichol." Alicia announced. Katie smacked her forehead as the others high fived.

"Promise me you won't! She's happy! Don't we want Mercy to be happy?" The four others kicked the ground guiltily. "Exactly! Now promise me we're going to let Mercy do what she wants for once!" Murmurs of agreement passed amongst them and Katie nodded her approval.

Mercy ran out of the Great Hall clutching the letters, Oliver tried to follow her but he lost her among the throng of students trying to get to class. Throughout the day he tried to speak with her, only to miss his chance due to Nichol or other distractions. He was quick to notice though, that Mercy wasn't even telling Adam what was wrong which was odd considering she had been so happy only hours prior due to their exclusivity. Adam tried to console her and she accepted his arm around her shoulders for most of the day, but Oliver knew better. He knew that there was something deeply wrong with Mercy and that the only time he was going to find out was that night in her room.

True to his suspicions, Mercy was sitting in the window sill by her bed that night. Oliver had discovered that he could easily get into her room by flying out of his window and tapping on hers. She was startled at first and refused to let him in, but with a little determination and a spell or two, Oliver was back in the warmth of the tower. Mercy sat on her bed and pretended to read her potions book. He knew she was pretending because she never read so slowly before in her life, especially not when it came to potions.

"What's the matter?" He finally asked. She ignored him. "Mercy what the bloody hell is the matter with you? Earlier today you were this bright ray of sunshine and now you're Moaning Myrtle in the flesh! What was in that letter?"

"What letter?" She asked, as though he didn't already know.

"The letter that came for you this morning. Is everything okay? Did someone get hurt? Is it your mum? Dad? Nate? Derrick?"

"No, they're all fine." She assured him, a little flattered that he cared so much.

"Then what is it?" He asked a little softer, sitting next to her on the bed. She pulled out the letters from her bag and handed it to him, unable to speak.

"Dear Miss Gauge, We are sorry to inform you that your acceptance to Le Cordon Bleu has been denied. We encourage you to apply again in the spring." Oliver looked up at her, not needing to read the second letter. She looked as though she was going to cry. Without a second thought he pulled her into a hug and began rocking her back and forth.

"It's official Oliver…I'm a failure. I'm never going to make it into the culinary world." She managed to get out. "The one from the Italian Institute is the same. Dumbledore promised me this wasn't going to be an issue, my not having a Muggle education, but I guess even the greatest mind in the Wizarding world underestimated Muggles."

"Shhh…Shhh. It'll be alright. You're still waiting on the Culinary Institute of America."

"They'll probably turn me down too." She barely whispered, Oliver assumed it was in order to hold back the sobs. He pulled away from her and looked into her sad, yet beautiful eyes.

"Don't you dare think like that Mercedes. If they don't take you then they're missing out on an extremely talented, passionate and amazing pupil and you don't need them. You listen to me and you listen to me good, no matter what happens, whether you go to America, stay here or study at the worst culinary school there is, you will always be an amazing chef and you will never lose your passion for it. I know you too well and care about you too much to let a little setback like this ruin your dream." Mercy gave him a small smiled and hugged him. After a moment she shifted away from him as though she'd just realized something. Oliver quirked an eyebrow in her direction.

"You remembered."

"Remembered what?"

"The name of the schools I applied to."

"Was I not supposed to?"

"No, I'm quite glad you did." She hugged him again.

"What would I do without you Oliver?"

"Oh I don't know…probably drown yourself in the showers."

"You're probably right."

* * *

There it is! Mercy and Adam are exclusive, Oliver is still battling his feelings…will they _ever_ just get together? Beats the heck out of me. Please R/R! I will try and update at least once a week!

Chapter 17 Preview:

_She smelled choco balls, that was correct, but then there was morning dew, something that reminded her of pencil shavings, and a musky odor. Mercy was fairly certain none of these things were attractive to her._

"_See me after class Miss Gauge."_

_Why was the Headmaster pushing this on her?_


	17. Pencil Shavings

Hey all! As promised…here's another chapter! Special thanks to: PromiseToForget219 and my anonymous reviewer with no name. This chapter is for you!

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17 Pencil Shavings

The next few days, things slowly shifted back to normal for Oliver and Mercy. It appeared that all they needed was a small crisis to bring them together again. Although Mercy did spend a lot of time with Adam, she did her best not to let it interfere with her friends which, although Adam never said anything, everyone else noticed that it was a bit of a touchy subject among the couple. Valentine's Day was approaching and Mercy knew that if she did not give in and celebrate the overrated holiday, that Adam would be thoroughly offended, so she offered to make him dinner which they would share together in the location of his choosing. To everyone's surprise, he suggested they eat in the Kitchens, and then do something together afterwards. This caused Mercy extreme enjoyment and she was unable to rid her face of the "shit eating grin" as Angelina called it.

Oliver tried not to let her notice that he was a little discouraged by the date. Instead, he led her down to breakfast before potions that day. Snape had them brewing amortentia (probably due to pressure from Dumbledore, tis the season after all) for the past week and this was their last day to work on it. Oliver was fairly certain that he was going to fail considering his potion looked nowhere near the same color as Mercy's. She wasn't worried though, and promised to make sure he saw everything she was doing so he would at least pass for the day. As they sat down to breakfast, she began chatting animatedly about what she should make Adam for dinner in a week.

"It's the weirdest thing; I have no clue what to make him. I'm usually so in touch with people's taste buds." She told Oliver as she filled both his and her plates with their favorite nutrients. Although they both agreed that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, Mercy enjoyed making lunches, dinners and desserts because there were just so many options. Oliver never complained since he usually got to eat whatever she was making.

"What's his favorite food?" Oliver asked, trying to be helpful.

"Pizza." She said with a frown which caused Oliver to laugh. He knew Mercy felt that pizza was a cop-out when it came to picking favorite foods.

"Okay…what else does he like?" Mercy shrugged.

"Well then, love, I suggest you dig into your cook books and find something that anyone who has even the dullest palate will like."

"That's a good idea Oliver."

"And if you need to test the meal on anyone…I'm always up for good food." He teased, causing her to slap his arm with a grin on her face.

"Careful Wood, or I'll make you eat lima beans." She retorted, using his least favorite food as a weapon. Oliver surrendered, but quietly suggested that she could try-out recipes on him to which she rolled her eyes, but took him up on his offer. He smiled at the thought of them spending more time together and impulsively put his arm around her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm always here for you love." She smiled and leaned in to his arm.

"So, what are your plans for the big V since I'll be out with Adam?" She asked, reminding Oliver that for the first time in six years, they wouldn't be spending Valentine's Day together. This caused Oliver to straighten a bit and clear his throat.

"I have a date." He told her, trying not to meet her gaze. Mercy pulled away from him and stared for a moment before shaking her head and playing with her food, a small smile on her face.

"Good. I'm glad you won't be alone." She told him while picking up a piece of bacon. Oliver pushed his eggs around his plate. "Who is it?"

"Elizabeth Danzig."

"The sixth year Hufflepuff that sits behind us in Charms?" Oliver nodded. "Good for you mate, she's a catch." She socked him in the arm. "What are your plans? A nice romp around the Astronomy Tower? Or maybe a stroll by the Forbidden Forest?" Oliver rolled his eyes and allowed Mercy to think up ridiculous scenarios for his date, each one becoming more and more extreme to the point where Oliver was apparently going to fly around Elizabeth in circles, dressed as cupid and then take her swimming in the lake naked before sweeping her off to the Quidditch Pitch and warming themselves up in the shower while the Giant Squid watched. By the time they had to leave for potions class, Oliver had managed to get Mercy to shut up by stating that he wasn't going to help her with her transfiguration homework that evening. They made their way down to the dungeons, waving to Fred and George who were hiding from Filch in an empty classroom.

When they made it to class, Oliver and Mercy sat next to each other as per usual and began finishing their amortentia. Mercy tried her best to make sure that he could see what she was doing. Although Mercy was sure his was not the correct color, she knew he was close. Hers however was a deep red with just a blush of pink swirling around. The color was correct, the final ingredients were added, but something was off about the smell. She smelled choco balls, that was correct, but then there was morning dew, something that reminded her of woodchips, and a musky odor. Mercy was fairly certain none of these things were attractive to her. She looked over at Oliver and he too was confused while smelling his potion. At nearly the same time they pulled their cauldrons away from each other. Still no change in what she smelled. She was double-checking the ingredients trying to figure out what she'd done wrong when Snape showed up at their desk. He sniffed Oliver's potion and gave him an 'A'. When he checked Mercy's, she fought the urge to tell him she'd done something wrong. His eyes glazed over for a moment as though his mind had gone elsewhere. Oliver gave Mercy a questioning look and she shrugged her shoulders. Snape snapped out of his trance, his expression unreadable.

"See me after class Miss Gauge." Mercy's face fell. She hadn't thought that she'd done so badly that it required a private meeting. She wanted to question Snape further but he'd moved on to another table where a Ravenclaw was trying to hide his potion because it was a repulsive brown color. Oliver patted Mercy on the shoulder and promised to wait for her outside the dungeon. He didn't care if he'd miss lunch or even Quidditch practice, he'd be there for her. Snape ordered everyone to start cleaning up. Mercy took her time and Oliver gave her a final reassuring smile before leaving her alone.

"Do not clear your cauldron." Snape told her. Mercy froze and sat in her seat, picking at her cuticles. Snape walked over and immediately snuffed the cauldron. "Do you know why you are here?" She shook her head no. "To discuss your future in potions." Mercy nodded, trying not to let her disappointment show. "I normally do not do this, but the Headmaster asked me to speak with you about career opportunities once you graduate."

"Sir, I don't think I understand." She stuttered.

"You are at the top of the potions class and are doing extremely well in Herbology from what I have been told. I believe you would do well in the Developmental Potions Department at the Ministry." Mercy's jaw dropped.

Outside, Oliver leaned against the wall hoping Mercy wouldn't be too traumatized when Snape released her. He wondered if he had time to grab a bag of choco balls from Honeydukes. While he waited he thought about what he'd smelled in his potion. There were some things that were just off. He smelled the fresh grass of the pitch, rich fudge, but then he couldn't place a fruity odor that was so subtle he couldn't decide what it was, as well as the aroma of baked goods. Sure he was a sucker for fresh baked foods, but that wasn't something he considered attractive.

Mercy exited the dungeon deep in thought. She could have an internship wherever she wanted with Snape's recommendation, a job too. But what about the pub? Why was the Headmaster pushing this on her? He knew her plans, so did McGonagall. If she told Oliver, he would assume she was going to listen to their professors. She wasn't sure she could live with lying to her friends back home. How would she describe her job? What about if they wanted to visit? What if they accidentally saw paperwork or her wand? Mercy shook her head. No. It was too difficult.

She was so deep in thought that she tripped over Oliver's leg as she exited the classroom. Oliver grabbed her before she hit the ground, but she barely noticed. He followed her, trying to figure out what had happened that would traumatize her this much. Mercy seemed to be in a haze as they walked to transfiguration and sat down without a word to Oliver who was trying to get her attention. Mercy was vaguely aware of Oliver's hand waving in front of her face and the tickle in her nose from the feathers of his quill heading up her nostrils. Her mind, however ignored these distractions. She'd never considered she would have career opportunities in the wizarding world, she would have to talk to her dad about it.

"Miss Gauge!" Mercy shook her head and looked around and came face to face with the stern look of McGonagall. Her face instantly turned red and Oliver tried not to laugh. She kicked him under the desk, realizing why he was trying to get her attention.

"Yes Professor?"

"Who is the first known animagi in wizarding history?" Mercy swallowed and racked her brain for the information.

"He…transformed into a bird…"

"I did not ask _what_ he transformed into, I asked his name." Mercy looked down at her notes and spied Oliver's notebook with the answer.

"Falco Aesalon."

"Very good." Professor McGonagall turned back to the blackboard. Oliver gave Mercy a subtle high five. "And next time don't help her Mr. Wood." The class giggled and Mercy winked at Oliver before leaning back in her seat as though she'd just received a compliment. Her mind wandered for the rest of the day through lunch, Herbology and dinner to the many different options for her life. Even when she sat in the common room trying to concentrate on a Defense paper which she found extremely interesting, she failed miserably. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Instantly her senses were filled with a familiar smell. Her eyes popped open and she looked around the room. Where was that odor coming from, what was it and why was it so familiar? The common room was filled with people that she'd known for years. Fred and George were attempting to get a first year to try one of their latest creations, Angelina was working diligently on an essay, Katie and Alicia were practicing charms and Oliver was sketching away in one of his notebooks. Probably working on another new play for Gryffindor. She honestly didn't know what she'd do without him sometimes.

He was her rock. Mercy always knew where to find him and could usually figure out what he was thinking. Like now, in three seconds he would look up and smile at her. Yep, there it was. That smile that could calm her nerves in a second, reassure her when she fumbled with a spell and comfort her when she fell doing something stupid. She smiled back and walked over to him, flopping down on the chair with him, forcing him to squish over for her. He immediately closed his notebook and blew the pencil shavings away, the scent wafting through her nostrils like an old friend.

"Are you going to tell me what Snape said to you today?" He asked, giving her a quizzical look. Mercy took a deep breath and recounted her meeting with the potions master.

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That's all for this chapter…what'd you think? Please R/R!

Your preview for Ch 18 is simply the title…

_Nice Rack_

Let me know what you think happens!


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